Certain Parallelisms
by i Mel-chan i
Summary: He knew there was something about her that intrigued him, maybe it was her eyes or her voice but he didn't know what. HitsuHarribel
1. Chapter 1

Title: Certain Parallelisms

Pairing: Hitsugaya/Harribel

Ratings: T

Warnings: Spoilers for Fake Karakura Arc

Disclaimer: Don't own squat on this or any future chapters!

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The Espada turned out to be a woman- a woman with smooth, dark skin and blonde hair gathered into a simple braid. A thick collar covered most of her face, making it difficult to see her face or her expression, but that did not matter because two beautiful green eyes more than made up for it. She stared calmly at him, Hitsugaya noted, no panic, no arrogance, no aggression, simply a placid look.

Too many times, he faced rude, contemptuous opponents, who make cheeky remarks about his age and height. Many questioning his captaincy, but this Espada does nothing of the kind. She motionlessly sizes her opponent, making no remarks, before pulling out her zanpakuto in one swift stroke. A complex set of motions soon followed until finally she swung her sword and yielded the hilt tightly, ready to fight.

Suddenly the serene look in those green eyes vanish, replaced instead by hard, threatening eyes.

For some reason his heart beats rapidly in his chest, not from fear or anticipation but something else. He does not know why, but his heart thumps loudly, like a dull hammer beating over and over again. Still, Hitsugaya does not show this apprehension- he has already become an expert in hiding his emotions and doubts behind a mask of indifference. He unsheathed Hyourinamru, charging into battle.

It'd be best to observe her fighting style, he thinks- forcing himself to get into his usual strategic mode.

But his heart beats loudly in his chest.

And he realized something, in all honestly, he does not want to see her fighting style. No, there's something more behind his actions. He's being greedy and selfish right now, possibly risking the fate of Soul Society. But there's just something about her- something about those green eyes that captivates him, that bewitches him and makes him want to extend this battle for as long as possible.

Hitsugaya soon noted that the Espada is intelligent, calculating too. She does not unleash her true potential but she doesn't toy with him, she simply observes him, silently picking up on a pattern, silently measuring the swing of his sword, silently taking in his behavior. He does likewise, and for a moment, the world disappears behind them. All he can do now is focus on her sword and those green eyes.

Suddenly something unexpected happens.

"Just now there was a disturbance in your rietsu," she speaks, her voice fluid, reminding him of a stream of water.

"What are you talking about?" he harshly retorts, foolishly trying to hide the panic and fear, but she sees through that clever mask of his. "What happened?"

"Hell if I know."

Of course he knows what's going on, and the idea frightens him.

For weeks, Hinamori was under a heavy coma with little chance of waking up. Although a part of him felt guilty for letting this happen, Hitsugaya had come to accept the inevitable fate. But one day, just as he was being debriefed about the King's Realm, the commander-general gave him an unlikely surprise. Hinamori appeared on the screen, fully awake from her coma.

He hoped for a happy reunion when she awoke, where he would tease and laugh with his childhood friend, instead Hinamori was stuck on that bastard. 'Please save him,' she whispered her face pale, sporting ugly, black circles under her eyes. Hitsugaya could only stare in shock until finally he realized something. Aizen had brainwashed her so intensely, warped her mind so wickedly that she was blind to the world around her. That man would forever be in her mind, body, and soul.

He swings Hyorinmaru sending a blast of icy waves. '_What's going on? _

He felt Hinamori's presence, so that meant she was entering battle. But why? She would only get in the way, and above all her loyalties couldn't be trusted, and he feared- honestly feared- that Hinamori would foolishly go running to Aizen.

The Espada easily stopped his sword, her green eyes peering through the clumsy lie. She mentioned nothing and again they return to their fight.

Their swords repeatedly clash, both caught into a stalemate as neither reveals their full potential. The fight continues to drag longer and longer, the world some far away figure, until another disturbance occurs. This time she is the one acting strange. Hitsugaya doesn't know what triggered this unusual behavior but he can't attack her as she stares off into space, softly reciting each of her Fraccion's names and congratulating them on their performance. She seemed so sad then, so sad and lonely that for a moment Hitsugaya can't help but feel empathy and sympathy towards her.

She turned towards him then and yanked the zipper of her jacket- the jacket flapping in the wind. The harsh number 3 tattooed on her left breast reminds him that she is the enemy that he cannot offer her any mercy.

Her eyes meet him, and they are not sad anymore. They have become hard and vengeful as she discovers a new reason for fighting.

"I have yet to show what I can really do."

Her declaration drives him into a mild state of panic, and he clumsily unleashes his bankai, easily getting shoved into a building by a relatively simple attack. "This is a captain's strength?" she ponders in that cool voice of hers. "Apache and the others lost to this?" He says nothing, silent derailing himself for loosing his cool. Her green eyes continue to watch him, cold and distant- a complete different person then moments before- and then she grips her sword, dripping it from the sky. "Attack Tiburon."

Water gushes from almost nowhere- a giant tsunami has appeared over the little town- wrapping and enveloping her into a small cocoon, closing tighter and tighter like a sea clam. The smell of salt and sea fills his senses as the endless water continues to pour onto her. Time slows, and all he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the torrents of water, slowly transforming the Espada.

Finally after an eternity, she cuts through the shell, a complete different being.

_'I can't underestimate her,' _he thinks, taking precautions against this unleashed form. It proves useful as he learns that her speed has more than doubled in this new stage.

She is a formidable opponent, Hitsugaya also learns. Almost ironically she can control the ice that he controls so well, and he can control the torrents of water she controls so well. They think so similarly- every attacked, every defense, every strategy- is so similar to one another that after a moment, Hitsugaya could almost laugh at the exact plan they came up with.

"You're waiting for the same thing, aren't you?"

She does not reply but he can read her mind. She wants to create a sea like he wants to create an avalanche. Both of them use water, though in different stages, as their prized weapons, and both of them will use water to kill the other one off. Neither of them will underestimate the other because they both know just how much power the other holds.

"What is your name Espada?" he asks. The battle is about to end shortly and it didn't last as long as he would have hoped. He hadn't been able to examine her as long as he had wanted- he hadn't been able to stare at those green eyes long enough. But he guesses that's okay. He has come to respect and admire her in their short time period.

"Tres Espada, Tia Harribel," she answers, cool and unafraid despite the darkening skies. She can read his mind as easily as he can read hers, and a part of her must know that this might be her end. A part of her can sense that she would not be able to avenge her loud, obnoxious Fraccion but she thinks maybe they will forgive her.

"I am Captain of the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro."

It's alright to die this way, she thinks, with the name of her opponent fresh in mind, not because she holds a dying grudge but because she has come to respect him. Though he is young, she knows he is more than a worthy, strong opponent.

The heavens darken and a hole rips through the sky, emitting pretty white snowflakes that bloom into flowers. They fall silently, blooming into a wild garden as it makes contact with her skin, until she cannot move- she has become entrapped in the ice.

Harribel looks at him her face a mixture of... resignation? Though the white hollow mask has been removed he still cannot read her face instead he has to look at her green eyes to see... wait, it was acceptance and sadness.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to avenge your subordinates." He apologizes, sincerely apologizes.

When the last petal falls she will die, Hitsugaya thinks. This beautiful woman frozen in an obelisk of ice will die gradually, just as these flowers wilt and die. In the end she will become nothing but bits of ice that will be blown into the wind, her remains scattered. He doesn't understand why it brings him sadness as he stares at her lifeless face through the clear ice. He doesn't understand why something unsettling is curling in his stomach.

Hitsugaya stares at her green eyes, reading her final emotions as though reading a book. A beam of light bounces off the smooth ice surface, causing him to catch a glimpse of his reflection.

He finally notices. They both have the same green eyes.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Warnings: language, mind torture, more spoilers

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_"This must be a cruel form of fate,"_ he thinks.

She stood before him, covered in ice dust and melted water. For a second her eyes widen in astonishment at this unexpected chance. Moments ago Wonderwiss appeared with his favorite pet. A croaked smile appeared over his distorted face, as he gazed at the empty little town and the ring of fire where his god was; and then he took a giant breath and emitted the loudest scream possible, shattering windows and glasses, and the frozen obelisk where Harribel was imprisoned.

Her green eyes become cold, and it takes him a minute to understand why. Harribel had wanted to avenge her Fraccion, and now that she has escaped death, she was going to complete her promise.

One of the frozen petals breaks- a constant reminder of the time limit his immature banaki is subjected over. _"I'm gonna die." _

Somehow the thought of death didn't bother. Hitsugaya had always known this. His young age and inexperience was constantly preventing him from harnessing the true powers of Hyorinmaru, and because of this he would be at a disadvantage. The other captains had decades, even centuries of achieving and mastering their bankai, they could perfectly control their powers.

Whereas Hitsugaya lacked this, and because he lacked control, he would probably be one of the many casualties. Masumoto had scowled him, for thinking like this. But Hitsugaya was logical and rational and knew that he would be dead by the end of this war.

_"That's okay."_ Because really its okay if she kills him. He had wanted to stare at her eyes a bit longer and now he had one last chance.

He gripped Hyorinmaru with callous hands waiting as Harribel approaches.

A part of her can sense that he will die, and for a moment she feels a bang of regret. He is such a different opponent, unlike anyone she has ever met. He is intelligent, strong-willed, compassionate, and mature for his age. He has a mind just like hers- a mind that she could easily read and predict. But she is the Third Espada and she cannot afford any mercy. The only benevolence she can offer is a quick and painless death.

But fate is a cruel mistress.

Instead of opening the door for death as it continuously pounds, the entrance is empty. Death decided to turn its back on him and seek another victim.

Just as she was about to land the final blow, another figure interrupted the battlefield. She was a petite girl with blonde pigtails and a haughty attitude.

Hitsugaya had been startled by this girl's appearance. He had never seen her in his life, but here she was uninvited and butting in other people's fight. She was also excruciating loud, annoying, and extremely rude. Another one of her comrades, a girl with glasses and long legs also joined the fight.

They were mysterious beings- not quite shinigami but not hollows either, somehow in between. Despite this, they had a personal vendetta against Aizen and through this common goal, they joined forces with the Gotei-13. Aizen saw this and tutted under his breath, sighing in disappointment at his armies.

He appeared behind Harribel. "... I alone would be more powerful then you," he said lifting his sword. Blood spurred out of her belly, but she could only feel the bile and abomination on her tongue at the unexpected betrayal. Harribel had trusted him. She had believed in his plans for the future and defended his philosophy and standards. And now the bastard was tired of her, kicking her away like some dog.

_"Apache and the others died for him?"_ she thought the bile turning to hatred. Her Fraccion had defended his morals; and in the end, gave up their lives for this golden future Aizen envisioned.

Harribel let out a harsh scream, angry and betrayed not for herself but because Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun, sacrificed their lives for nothing. They had died for absolutely nothing.

With all her might, she stabbed him, pushing deeper and deeper into his chest, but still not satisfied at the amount of blood she saw.

"I will never let you raise your sword against me."

He was behind her, another sickening smile on his face as the figure she had tried to kill moments ago shattered into pieces. Aizen gripped his sword, easily cutting through her shoulder as though it were nothing but hot butter.

_"No, no, no, no..." _

It was another one of Aizen's betrayals. It was another Hinamori all over again. Aizen would continue to manipulate and use those people about him, without any conscious; and when he was done, or when they stopped serving his purpose, Aizen would easily discard them. Hitsugaya watched as those green eyes filled with anger and hatred, but as her blood rained down from the sky, those green eyes became foggy. Death was robbing the eyes that he loved to watch.

For a moment, Hitsugaya could not pay attention to his surroundings. All he could see were the shocked look on her green eyes, the regret and finally the deep loathing. Hitsugaya knew where he had seen those very eyes. They had been his own eyes as he found the lifeless body of Hinamori on the floor, and realized that Aizen had done this. The man he had respected and looked up, the man he had believed in and fought with, had betrayed him right in front of his very eyes.

Harribel gave a weak sigh before falling a thousand feet from the sky.

"What's the matter Hitsugaya-kun have I traumatized you?" Aizen said, as his minions fought in the background, sporting a wicked look on his face, and chuckling at the similarity of events.

"I apologize. I should have cut her into unrecognizable pieces."

Fucking bastard.

He suddenly didn't care. He didn't care that the pigtail girl had been sliced in half after falling into Aizen's taunts. He didn't care that the commander-general had mentioned that he would fight Aizen while medical aid was given to the girl and Ukitake-taichou. He didn't care about Hinamori's stupid promise.

Hitsugaya flew at him and punched him with all his strength. Aizen's head snapped back, blood streaming at the corner of his lip. "I'm gonna make you pay," he spoke his voice bitter with hate and contempt. Never before had he hated someone so much. "I'm gonna make you pay you son-of-a-bitch."

He felt something hard collide on his collar bone, making his head spin. Tousen stood there, about to ask whether his master was alright. Aizen held up his hand, stopping the man from speaking. "How can you Hitsugaya-kun? When you fear me?"

It happened so fast, all he could see was the flash of a sword and before he knew it he was in another world. The sky marked a deep red, the earth a dark black and the sound of a buzzing somewhere in the distant.

His eyes widen as he observed his strange surroundings- there were no landscapes, no rocks or trees, no other living beings. The air was constricting, gravity was heaver, even the soil seemed impure.

The buzzing grew louder and louder. Hitsugaya could feel his breath hitching in his throat, his skin crawling. He wanted to scream, wanted to yell at the top of his lungs for anyone, anyone to appear. But then he saw! Over there by the distant there was something white on the black soil. Yes, something white.

"What the hell are you doing you damn kid?" That man- what was his name? Hirako, perhaps?- pulled him out of that mysterious world. He flash stepped both of them onto the ground of the deserted Karakura Town. "Didn't you see what happened to Hiyori back there? What makes you think you have a chance against Aizen?"

Hitsugaya said nothing as the older man pointed the deep cut on his shoulder. That's right, Aizen had injured his shoulder, ripping and soaking the sleeve with blood, but Hitsugaya could not feel the pain.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Again Hitsugaya didn't respond. Briefly, Hirako feared the boy's sanity. He alone noticed Aizen doing who-knows-what with his sword and though Hirako had quickly rushed forward, he had still been ten seconds late. Who knows what Aizen did to the boy, but whatever it was seemed to have spooked him. Suddenly he heard the cry from one of his comrades. "Whatever. Stay here okay?" In another flash he was gone back to the skies.

Hitsugaya trembled, his mind stuck on that strange world. Those white things. He knew what they were. They were maggots, gluttonously feasting maggots, greedily ripping the skin and tissue of a body. He felt his stomach churning and he bent over puking. The vomited doing little ease to quench the smell and feel of that world that still linger within him. Finally, Hitsugaya wiped the corner of his mouth, hot and sweaty.

But his mind continued to replay that nightmare, leaving him more fatigue and distress than any physical injury. He continued shaking as he lay on the cement floor, his mind replaying the white maggots feasting on the rotten corpse. And he suddenly thought of something. Just who was Aizen? Who was Aizen that he could do something so evil, so torturing to another being? How could such an evil being exist?

What was that? Hitsugaya sat up. That just now? What was that?

There was a soft melody somewhere- enchanting, bewitching- that for a moment his mind rested from replaying that scene. Hitsugaya noticed his surroundings, forgetting about the white maggots and the person that the fat worms were feasting on.

The sound echoed in the empty streets of Karakura Town.

His heart began to beat in his chest- not from fear or apprehension, but from something else. Slowly he rose from the ground, his mind entranced on the sound, his feet moving on their own accord. He walked like a half blind man, while holding his injured shoulder until he finally dash through the streets.

Hitsugaya bypassing debris, destroyed buildings, shattered windows, overturned cars, but he continued running, his heart pounding on his chest, sweat running down his forehead.

He skidded past a corner, running madly, running desperately. There was something about that voice, something that seemed to call out to him.

At last he arrived in front of a park, the sound more audible. Blood stains covered the grassy surface, bits at first but gradually changing into larger clumps that dragged out in a trail. He held his breath, almost afraid at what he would be finding.

But the siren's song bid him to come forward, telling him to place aside his fears and doubts and to continue forward.

He reached the center of the park, taking a deep breath.

Hitsugaya froze, seeing the dying body of Harribel just before the edge of the lake.

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you everyone! I wasn't expecting any reviews but already this is beyond my expectations.

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There were no wide seas in the barren lands of Hueco Mundo. No crashing waves breaking on the sandy shores, no gusts of warm salty air, no clear blue skies, where the sun shone brightly. Instead Hueco Mundo was sterile and dead- a desert that housed wandering hollows. It was survival of the fittest in these wild lands, where sometimes madness and hunger turned hollows against each other, committing cannibalism solely to survive.

She was no better either- wandering these empty lands with no specific purpose, killing and feasting upon the bodies of her fellow brothers and sisters. But the more she ate, the more she became hungry. Eating the flesh of hollows was not satisfying enough, she yearned for more. Her mind yearned for knowledge.

_'Why am I here?'_ She wondered staring at the empty abyss that should have been the sky._ 'What is my purpose? Am I alive solely for these basic instincts?' _

She thought about it for days. Sitting on the highest terrain and watching the pale crescent moon, she thought about her life. Hueco Mundo was a sea- a sea of sand and rock with thousands of creatures competing against one another. She imagined herself as some tiny fish, gradually evolving with each new challenge and obstacle until finally she became a great shark- a ferocious and powerful creature that dominated the seas.

But what was her purpose? Why had nature specifically chosen her to survive when so many had perished?

Soon weeks passed, follow by months, and she continued to sit- still thinking, still pondering who she was.

"You are a hollow."

She turned her head viewing a creature hesitantly approach her. The creature resembled some sort of deer, though her eyes were different colours and scars and bruises covered her front making her look wild, nothing like the soft, gentle creature.

"Forgive my intrusion," she apologized bowing her head. "But my sisters and I," she turned her head, pointing to two other hollows. One was an enormous snake with a long, scaly body; the other a strong, proud lioness. They did not resemble sisters but in this world, kin was not limited to blood rather comradeship.

"We have been observing you for some time. Why have you been sitting on that rock for so long?"

How strange, she thought to herself. Normally others would be intimidated by her strength and power, and would stay away. This creature was the only being that ever dared approach her.

"I have been thinking," she answered staring down at the little creature that she could easily crush with one swipe. "I know that I am a hollow but is there not something more to my existence? Am I doomed to wandered these lands, living with no purpose but for my selfish survival?"

The deer hesitated for a moment until one of her sisters, the snake approached her. "I am afraid we cannot answer that question. You are a hollow like I am. We both died without a proper burial and our souls are cursed to wander these lands, searching for something to sustain our appetite. But you have evolved and you no longer feel this growing hunger rather a thirst for knowledge."

"There is a being out there," the snake continued. "A shinigami that has sided with hollows and has promised a new life for us hollows. He does not see us as evil creatures that are lost in their own gluttonous madness, rather he believes hollows have another purpose."

She stared at these sisters, her interest growing at this divine being.

"His name is Aizen-sama," the lioness spoke. "He has promised a better world for us, and it can be achieved if we join him."

"Will you join us?" the deer interrupted. "We have observed you for so long that we cannot help but have sympathy towards you. Please join us and we can help Aizen-sama create this new world."

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Harribel awoke with a start, for a moment believing she was in Hueco Mundo, gazing at the faces of Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun. But the colours were too bright and vibrant, to be the gray sands of Hueco Mundo.

Images pounded into her mind: of the battle with Hitsugaya, the death of her Fraccion, being trapped in the ice obelisk, and finally Aizen's betrayal.

"You're awake."

Hitsugaya approached, the ice wings on his back complete gone, replaced instead by his long sword. The left sleeve of his robes was ripped showing a particularly nasty wound, but he didn't notice; rather he seemed pale and distraught, as though something had greatly shaken him.

"You save me," she stated watching as a black butterfly fluttered away into the quiet autumn sky- a huge contrast from the terrible battles that had taken place only moments ago.

She paused then. "Why did you save me?"

He preferred to look at the side- a pitiful attempt to ignore those sharp green eyes. They bore so deeply that for a moment he foolishly wondered whether she could see his beating heart.

He didn't know what it was, but there was a soothing voice, a song perhaps that led Hitsugaya to her broken, damaged body. In all his short life, he had never saw anything so tragic as Harribel lifeless body on the grassy grounds, blood pooling about her as she tried to reach the lake.

There was so much blood. Too much blood.

Honestly, what was it that made him rush to the enemy and pick her up with shaking hands?

Why did he feel the very foundations of the world shaking, as though gravity had suddenly increased and was coming crashing towards him? Why the hell was he checking her pulse and whispering, _'Please be alright. Don't die. Please don't die.' _

Why did he care? Only a few minutes ago he had been trying to kill her and she had been trying to kill him- so why did seeing her bloody, dangled body cause him so much distress?

Hitsugaya was not a healer. Hyorinmaru was the notorious ice-dragon that caused avalanche and blizzards and sucked out the very warmth and happiness out of everything. He couldn't do anything for her.

_"Don't die. Don't die."_

He ripped off the hem of his haori, tying it around her collarbone, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, but the blood soaked through. For one split second, he half wondered whether he should call for help, but his senses caught up with him momentarily. This was no time to panic, the other captains and the vaizards were busy with their fights, there was no way they could help- the enemy nonetheless- when a skilled healer wasn't even present.

The sound of the splashing water, caused him to glance at the lake. Tiny waves crashed onto the bank as though trying to reach Harribel. It was more of an impulsive decision, really because he suddenly had a vision of a fish struggling and gasping on land, struggling for water. Thus, with one deep breath, he picked her up and carried her to the freezing autumn water.

"Why did you save me Toshiro?" The wounds on her body had healed tremendously but she was tired and pale, complete out of energy.

It was the way she pronounced his name, so easily and causally- as though they had known each other for years- that made him look up.

Normally, Hitsugaya would have thrown a tantrum- it was Hitsugaya-_taichou _after all!- but for some reason he found he couldn't correct her. The angry, harden look she experienced moments ago during Aizen's betrayal was gone, replaced instead by a quizzical look.

He shifted his weight, feeling uncomfortable.

Really he hadn't saved her.

He had simply gotten this crazy idea that maybe by putting her in the lake she wouldn't suffer as much. But no sooner did he place her on the water, did ripples form on the smooth surface, waves splashing onto her body and somehow the bleeding stopped. Harribel's body sank into the water and for a moment he wondered whether she would drown, but something told him she would be alright that he should just step aside.

Now drenched and soaked, Harribel sat on the blood soaked grass, reverted back to her original form. Her clothes had been ripped and torn, doing little to hide her naked body, though she didn't seem to mind. She didn't even notice the cold temperature. All she noticed was his unyielding face, trying to mask the troubling emotions coursing through his mind.

"Hell if I know," he responded shrugging his shoulders.

Harribel tilted her head, her eyes analyzing him. She understood him now, like he understood her, and she knew that he was merely trying to hide this anxiety. When Hitsugaya did not understand something or was confused he did what he knew best, curse and brush it off. Still she could not see some ulterior motive behind his actions- and a part of her knew he wasn't like that.

"Thank you," she said softly, noticing the white rag that had been tied to her shoulder. He had ripped off a piece of his haori- the very symbolism of his captaincy- to save her. "I don't expect an explanation but I am grateful, Toshiro. I am forever in your debt."

He sat down beside her, his eyes gentle but somehow firm and touched her shoulder. "I really didn't do anything." His robes were covered with her blood- a contradiction to what he was saying. "And I don't expect you to be in my debt or anything."

But he had saved her. If he had merely turned away from her- ignoring her- surely she would have died. Harribel had dragged herself towards this lake but ultimately had collapsed from the blood loss. Her healing powers only worked when she was in water and though she was very close, her healing powers would not respond.

Still Harribel did not protest against his indications.

"I don't know what you're going to do after this," Hitsugaya continued somewhat hesitant. He turned his eyes away from her, trying to hide from those intense green eyes. "I'm guessing you won't return to Aizen anymore."

She flinched at the name, a strange form of anger and hatred encompassing at that man. She had joined Aizen because she believed in his ideals, believed that hollows were not meant to simply wandering the desert lands of Hueco Mundo, that they had a purpose. How foolish she had been to believe that man.

"At the moment everyone is trapped in this Fake Karakura Town," Hitsugaya continued. "But I can open a portal and allow you to can go wherever you want... and I _won't_ follow you."

She paused unable to believe what he was saying. He would simply let her go? Without any form of punishment?

As the Third Espada, Harribel had plenty of information that the Gotei-13 could use. She could be imprisoned and executing for being in Aizen's armies.

Something dawned on Harribel then. Though Hitsugaya was a captain and he seemed to take his responsibilities seriously, he was unlike any of the other captains. He didn't conform to the mindless rules of Soul Society, he dared question his orders and acted not on what others said, but what he honestly believed in.

"What are you going to do?" she whispered.

His mind seemed far away, as he thought of the battle in the skies. "I got a message that my vice-captain was injured. We don't have a skilled healer but another vice-captain has been attempting to heal her so far. He needs backup though- in case someone tries to attack."

Harribel nodded, remembering the enormous cube that stood in the middle of the deserted town. "Are you going back to battle then?" She knew it was a bad idea. Both of them were depleted of energy from their earlier fight.

"Yes, I have to... Matsumoto needs me."

He said the last phrase with so much earnest that Harribel could tell he was worried. _"They must be really close." _For a second she saw the faces of Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry about your vice-captain." She paused hesitant to continue. "I'm afraid my healing powers don't work on other-"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted.

"No, If there is anyway to repay your kindness I want to do so." She said it so forcefully that Hitsugaya couldn't help but be drawn on those adamant green eyes. Somehow they captivated him and he couldn't protest.

Harribel took a breath. "There is a girl trapped in Hueco Mundo named Inoue Orhime. She restored Grimmjow's arm so she can restore your vice-captain."

His eyes's widen at the information.

"At the moment she is trapped but I can take you to her. I can open the portal to Hueco Mundo and I can take you to her." Slowly Harribel stood on shaky legs, but at once feeling a slight pressure on her waist as Hitsugaya steadied her.

"You don't have to. It's too dangerous for you to return."

"No I want to help you in anyway I can."

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	4. Chapter 4

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A/N: Timeline has been altered, so Hitsu/Harribel fight happened before 7 Sin Arc.

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Hitsugaya's well trained eyes moved throughout the landscape, hearing nothing and see nothing.

A lone crescent moon hung over the dark, starless skies, illuminating gray sands and scattered wilted trees. This was his first time in Hueco Mundo, though he had often read of this place many times. Still he couldn't quite help but wonder how none of his textbooks ever mentioned what a desolated and melancholy area this truly was.

He had been raised in Roukongai where children shouted and played on the streets, and dogs and cats chased one another before the adults scowled at the children to shut up, I can't listen with all this noise! There had been thousands of colours too. Lots of green meadows, blue skies, and bright patterns on kimonos and dresses.

But there was nothing here. As far as his eye could see, he saw nothing but gray.

"Las Noches is just ahead," Harribel spoke, collapsing on the desert sands. Immediately Hitsugaya turned to her. "Are you alright?"

Scars and dried blood were visible on her body despite the little light available. But worse- Hitsugaya noted- her green eyes were not as bright and expressive, rather dull and tired.

"Yes I'm fine," she lied trying to pick herself up but doing a rather poor job.

"You're a horrible liar," he responded, his arm around her waist and helping her up. She narrowed her green eyes at him. "We'll have to move a bit faster. Hollows are attracted to other creatures that are weakened or injured even though they might be outside the gates of Las Noches."

Hitsugaya nodded, supporting her weight, as they slowly made their way down sand dunes into a white figure on the horizon. The last thing they needed was a wandering hollow. For some reason he had trouble detecting water vapor in the air, so making ice would be increasingly difficult.

"How can you live here?" he asked. There weren't even clouds that suggested precipitation, so how was it that a great shark like Harribel could survive the desert when she needed the sea?

"Instinct," she simply responded because it was true. Those that had a superb sense of instinct had a greater chance of survival then docile, ignorant hollows.

"No how can you live in all this despair?" Hitsugaya clarified. She had to agree with him. Hueco Mundo seemed much more bleak and ugly, having been spoiled with colours and noises in the Living World. Still this was her home. No, wait it couldn't be. Home was where Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun were, but now they were dead.

_"...We have observed you for so long that we cannot help but have sympathy towards you... "_

"You get used to it," she answered, closing her eyes.

The sand sunk under their combined weight as they continued down the slopes. Occasionally, a lizard would pass by but quickly it scurried away, disappearing underneath the ground. After a few minutes, she asked to be seated. He nodded, gently setting her against a dead tree branch. Harribel sighed, resting her head against the dried bark and shut her eyes.

Hitsugaya watched her blonde eyelashes delicately brush her darken cheeks. Her eyes snap open and he quickly looks away, trying to make it seem as though he had been looking away. For some reason he likes to look at her face, specifically her eyes. After all there is no stimulus- nothing but gray sands and dying trees and the white moon. Her green eyes are the only form of colour.

A breeze blew- no it wasn't really a breeze, more like death sighing out- and threw sand grains against his face. Instantly he brushed away the sand but then froze.

The sand had dispersed, making the broken fragments of a white mask, visible from underneath. Hitsugaya realized, half-appalled, that Hueco Mundo wasn't a desert rather a huge graveyard and underneath these sands were countless, unnamed bodies.

For a brief second, he felt a familiarity of déjà vu- seeing a black earth and red skies and the lone body being slowly eaten by fat, white worms.

Harribel must have noticed something, since her face suddenly became concerned. "What's wrong?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, his body trembling, his mind spinning. He wanted to leave. He was no longer curious about this unknown world, rather felt an unexpected chill growing up his spine. He feared the very sands would disappear and reveal a rotten corpse.

"Nothing," he lied. He tried to put on his mask of indifference but already she knew him too well.

"What's wrong, Toshiro?"

Maybe it was the way she said his name that somehow consoled him. The terrible fear began to lessen as he saw her face underneath the pale moonlight. She probably figured he had seen some rouge hollow, not gotten a brief image of the hell Aizen had put him in. He almost felt embarrassed to answer her.

"Aizen did some mind crap on me," he answered unable to keep the facade. His skin was starting to crawl; just by thinking of the other world Aizen had entrapped him in for a mere couple of minutes.

Harribel continued to stare at him intently. He looked pale and agitated as though he had seen something he shouldn't have. And that's when she realized just exactly what Aizen had done to him. It was a special technique he did in full demonstration- to remind his subordinates of just what his powers could do. From what she could tell, it was an illusion that trapped a person into a grim world. A body of someone important to them would be rotten in the dead center. The grotesque image usually brought fear and complete submission.

"Who did you see?" she asked gently.

"I-I..." he couldn't continue, already it was too terrifying. He stared down at the tree branch, goose bumps covering his skin.

"It's only an illusion," Harribel continued. "Only an illusion. It does not foretell the future."

"I know," he weakly responded. "But it seemed so real."

She was suddenly angry at Aizen for using these mind games on him. Why did that bastard insist on these sadistic forms of torture?

"We can leave if you want," she said.

"No," he finally answered. Matsumoto needed him more than ever and Inoue was the only one capable of healing her. Before the start of the war while they were stationed at Karakura Town, Matsumoto had promised that they would survive the end of the war. She had pouted at his pessimistic thoughts and insisted that they would both be alive and after wards they would celebrate his birthday.

She would bake the cake.

-

* * *

-

A white wall split Hueco Mundo into two and though the wall looked harmless, Hitsugaya could tell that powerful kidou spells had been created to keep anyone from entering or escaping. As they reached closer to the wall, his suspicious were correct. There was some sort of spell that prevented them from getting any closer to the walls and if it weren't for Harribel being there, they probably would have continued walking in a never-ending path.

Harribel raised her sword, her strength somewhat returning, and at once the wall melted away, creating an entrance that was big enough for a full Menos Grandes to enter.

It couldn't be more obvious that Kurosaki and his friends had stormed into the castle, just as they had done so in Soul Society. The top of several buildings were broken, smoke rising into the dyed sky and the occasional swift of enormous spiritual energy.

"What happened?" Harribel asked surprised at the complete state of chaos. There were none of the polite Arrancars that greeted her with bended knees, instead they seemed to have evacuated. "Did that boy do all this?" she asked referring to the unusual presence she felt in Las Noches that was somehow part shinigami, part hollow.

"Yeah that's my guess."

There was a sudden trembling and a sound of something exploding into the air.

"It looks like it's in the dome," Harribel continued to observe. "Ulquiorra must be releasing his state. He was put in charge of protecting Las Noches and the girl Inoue."

Kurosaki was definitely engaging Ulquiorra that Hitsugaya was certain of. Not because of his overwhelming spiritual energy, but because Kurosaki was the only one foolish enough to enter battle when he had little chance of winning.

Another explosion cracked, like a whip in the air. This was a dangerous area, Hitsugaya quickly noted, watching as heavy blocks of stone crashed onto the sand.

"C'mon we have to get Inoue-" Hitsugaya began and automatically felt a strange disturbance in the air. Three powerful beings appeared out of nowhere.

At once he unsheathed Hyorinmaru, creating a thin wall of ice as a shield. But he had trouble tapping into the water vapor in this environment, and immediately his weak shield shattered into pieces as something collided painfully with the ice. Harribel was instantly beside him, stopping the broken ice from hitting the ground and redirecting it onto the enemy that had just attacked them.

She was just about to pull out her sword when Hitsugaya hastily stopped her. "Wait!"

Kuchiki-taichou stood on the sands of Las Noches, a bewildered look on his face. Unohana-taichou was there too, as was Zaraki and-

"Chibi taichou!" came a squeal and at once Yachiru from the Eleventh Division climbed on his shoulder. "Get off me!" he yelled to the younger girl, pushing her off. "And it's Hitsugaya-_taichou_!"

_'_The pink-haired girl giggled before jumping back on Zaraki's enormous back. "Yup its chibi-taichou!'

Amusement washed briefly on Harribel's eyes, something that Hitsugaya quickly noted, before becoming replaced with stoic eyes.

"I apologize for having attacked you," Kuchiki-taichou said, the broken fragments of his sword re-materializing before he set it on his sheath.

"We were afraid it was another trap, Hitsugaya-taichou," Unohana-taichou replied. "Especially since you were accompanied by an Espada," she turned her head briefly to Harribel.

"She's not the enemy," he spluttered. The number three was tattooed on her breast, indicating her rank in the Espadas and though she wore a hollow's mask and had tried to kill him moments ago, Hitsugaya could not think of her as the enemy.

"Very well then." Neither Unohana-taichou nor Kuchiki-taichou looked very convinced. She stared at Harribel for several more seconds, deciding whether to trust her. Harribel met her gaze calmly, Hitsugaya standing between the two captains and the Espada, as though ready to break a fight.

At last Unohana sighed and called for her vice-captain. Isane approached her captain, stuttering a 'Yes ma'am.'

"Please get the Espada some clothing."

Hitsugaya thought the command was rather odd before he glanced at Harribel. Indeed all her clothing had been destroyed and the only thing she had left was bits of her white hakama. Her top and shoes had disappeared somewhere in battle and though her hollow mask extended to cover her breast, she still looked very naked.

He flushed. He hadn't fully noticed until now.

Harribel shot a suspicious look at the nervous Isane, her hand already on her sword but Hitsugaya threw her a look, telling her it was alright. Vacillating, Harribel left following Isane into a nearby tent.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, your arm is wounded," Unohana noticed, immediately muttering a kidou spell to heal the damaged muscle. He looked at his fellow colleagues, realizing that they were probably eager for any information. At once Hitsugaya began recounting the battle that was taking place in the Fake Karakura Town and their new allies- the vizards.

They listened carefully until Zaraki gave a loud sigh, muttering something that he was missing the fight, before lying down for a nap. Yachiru wandered somewhere, childishly talking to herself.

"I do not understand something Hitsugaya," Kuchiki-taichou spoke after he had finished. "How did you enter Hueco Mundo when all of our attempts failed?"

"Harribel opened a portal for me," he responded, somehow saying her name made his heart beat louder. Again Unohana-taichou and Kuchiki-taichou were silent until finally, having finished her healing technique Unohana-taichou stepped aside.

"What?"

"Hitsugaya," Kuchiki-taichou began. "I need not remind you that Aizen has already deceived us. He could be using this woman as well. You too readily trusted her, and allowed her to open a portal for you. Since you have never been to Hueco Mundo it was an incredibly risky move. This is her domain and she could have easily ambushed you at any time."

His face darkened.

"All we are saying Hitsugaya-taichou," Unohana-taichou said softly picking up on his mood. "Is to be more cautions."

"Whatever," he said. "Matsumoto and several others are injured. We came to get Inoue but-"

Suddenly there was another quake, an enormous earthquake that stumbled the captains and awoke Zaraki from his nap. Yachiru returned, her eyes wide, and Isane came stuttering back with an annoyed Harribel. A blinding light erupted from the dome, illuminating all of Las Noches. Buildings crumbled, falling into pieces and spraying dust everywhere.

The trembling continued until finally, through the smoke and debris, a gargantuan figure came into view.

Hitsugaya turned to look at Harribel, his eyes wide. He had fought this creature before, but now it had morphed and he didn't quite know whether it was the same being.

"Yes, that's Yammy," Harribel answered her eyes moving as the creature continued to grow.

-

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

-

-

Matsumoto opened beady eyes to an eerie silence, which was quite unusual since her captain tended to nag and complain whenever she fell asleep on the couch. She tried to sit up, but a hot pain shot up the left side of her body, leaving her immobile. Still this pressing silence alerted her more than the pain.

"Ah Matsumoto-san! Please you must remain still," Kira's gentle voice appeared. He set her down, fatigue and worry evident on his young face.

Matsumoto blinked, still trying to understand her surroundings. "Kira where are we?"

"We're in the Fake Karakura Town. You and Hinamori-kun were injured in battle."

And then it all came crashing onto her. Hitsugaya-taichou's words that the battle was about to begin that they should remain focus and ready and not let past emotions cloud their judgment. She took on the three arrancars, while her captain took on the Espada. Hinamori had appeared to help, but then the arrancars ripped their arms, fusing their flesh and blood to create a monster with no mind or heart, but with a strong desire to kill.

She inwardly shivered at the sheer darkness and emptiness the monster projected.

"Where's Hinamori?"

"She's alright," Kira said pointing to the unconscious Hinamori. "Her injuries weren't as severe as yours but she's stabilized at the moment."

"Good," she sighed in relief. Kira explained what had occurred so far. He described the strange half-hollow, half-shinigami that had interrupted the battle, calling themselves the enemy of Aizen and therefore the allies of the Gotei-13. "I don't know what happened next, Matsumoto-san. After Aizen attacked one of them, it's just been quiet since."

"Aizen's 's probably behind it," she answered, briefly shutting her eyes against the pain. "It's probably some sort of illusion."

"That's what I thought. So I asked Hitsugaya-taichou for assistance. He's fine-" Kira added hearing Matsumoto's gasp. "He said he'll be by to help move you to Soul Society."

She could just imagine the apprehension going through her taichou's head. Although he hid his feelings behind a mask of indifference, Matsumoto knew better. He was probably sick with worry and she felt bad for being the cause of it. Matsumoto shut her eyes, trying to locate his spiritual energy. It reminded her of a chilly breeze, but instead of its usual strength it was slightly obscure as though he had been hurt and scared, like something had greatly upset him.

And then his spiritual energy vanished.

This time she really did sit up.

"Matsumoto-san please!" Kira pleaded trying to get her to sit down. But Matsumoto wasn't like that. Whenever one of her friends was in danger, she usually forgot about her own welfare. "You cannot do anything right now. Already it's a miracle you have survived."

"But taichou's spiritual energy just vanished!"

"Maybe he's gone to Soul Society for help," Kira reasoned. "I told him you and Hinamori-kun were injured, maybe he's gone to Soul Society to get a skilled healer."

Yes, that would sound like something her taichou would do. He was very impatient and would rather be doing something, anything, instead of waiting.

Suddenly, Matsumoto went light headed, her knees going weak and the pain began to burn hotter than a furnace. Kira was instantly behind her rapidly administering another healing spell. Poor Kira. He had left the Fourth Division so long ago that he was probably using healing spells. Already he looked exhausted.

The Fake Karakura Town remained silent for several more minutes with nothing but Kira's soft recital of spells and the swoosh of his spiritual energy. For once Matsumoto was silent- too busy thinking about the whereabouts of her captain and the causalities the Gotei-13 had sustained so far.

Like all the other captains, her captain had been particularly worried about the upcoming war. Aizen made him question his abilities and since his mind worked so logically and rationally, he admitted that he would probably one of the causalities.

_"Oh like wars are everyday occurrences! Look at Ukitake-taichou he's been captain for over a hundred years, fought thousands of battles, but he still has no clue what to expect!" He still seemed unsure, so she pinched his nose, pouting at his usual pessimism. _

There was a rip in the silence as some strange being approached their little cube. Matsumoto's eyes widen as looked at a lone figure standing high upon the sky. "Who is that?" Kira asked, also noticing the strange presence.

The figure flickered from the sky before hovering in front of their sanctuary. A smile graced his features.

"Izuru, Rangiku. It's been so long."

Kira froze as he peered over the infamous smirk of his formal captain and slowly began to tremble.

"Stay here," she whispered. Matsumoto knew that Kira could not fight Gin. He still held feelings towards his formal captain and Matsumoto would not let these feelings jeopardize his life. She knew that Ichimaru Gin was ruthless, that he cared only for himself and would not hesitate for a moment to kill.

Kira's was about to hold her back, to tell her that really it was okay he got over his captain a long time ago, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Because as much as he told himself over and over again that Ichimaru-taichou was the enemy, he could never lift his sword against him.

"What have you come here for?" Matsumoto said her face deadly serious as she stared at Ichimaru Gin. She was beginning to see less of the scrawny boy that had offered her a persimmon. Power was corrupting him and now she could not think of Gin anymore without heartbreak and disappointment.

The smirk widen on his face. "Nothing I've just wanted to see my old vice-captain."

She stood in front of him, blocking his view of Kira.

"You should probably sit down, Rangiku. You don't look so well." Matsumoto said nothing, choosing to ignore the screams of pain her body was crying out.

"Please leave Gin."

"I'm not leaving," he answered defiantly peering at her pale face.

Matsumoto steadied herself against the fatigue. "Please leave."

"Move Rangiku," he hissed no tone of playfulness anymore.

"Why are you here?"

He said nothing instead his gaze moved past her for a moment to rest on the unconscious form of Hinamori. Matsumoto's eyes followed his gaze before realization washed over her. "No, no! I won't let him use her anymore."

His face became hard, harder than stone.

"Don't get involved in this." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Rangiku, right now Hitsugaya-kun is in Hueco Mundo retrieving Orihime-chan. He'll be back in a few more minutes with her."

"H-how do you know that?"

"Aizen felt Hitsugaya-kun's presence in Hueco Mundo," he answered. "Rangiku just wait for your captain. Both of us know that you're overexerting yourself just by standing here."

Matsumoto shut her eyes, the pain growing intense. "You're going to use Hinamori."

He said nothing.

"Gin that girl has already suffered enough. Let her be."

"Aizen needs her." He pulled out the small dagger of his sword. "And I was ordered to get her."

Her gray eyes rested on his sword, showing no fear or fury. "Please put away your sword."

Since they were kids, he could never say no to Rangiku. She would ask for the most expensive scarf or for another plate of food, and Gin would always agree.

"Put away your sword Gin or I will have to fight you."

But they were no longer kids anymore and he couldn't spoil her. He had his orders.

"Shinsou," he spoke and the dagger in his palm grew to a full length sword. He forced back a brief image of the skinny girl with tangled hair, wearing dirty rags for clothes."Then come and fight me."

Matsumoto smiled sadly. _"Sorry taichou." _

_-  
_

* * *

-

Hitsugaya stopped, feeling an unexpected cold draft. It was a strange feeling, having nothing to do with spiritual energy, rather it was almost like premonition, a forewarning.

"What is it?" Harribel asked noticing Hitsugaya's odd behaviour.

He continued to stare off into the distance, his mind lost in thoughts, not noticing a new crack spreading on the wall. It almost seemed as though he were in a trance.

No sooner had Yammy released his true form that the Twelfth Division captain appeared, clearly in great spirits. Apparently, he had discovered Szayel Aporro Granz's secret laboratory and with it a wealth of information. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was continuously complaining of his limitations as a scientist- what not with ethics and rules- but the Eighth Espada had all the liberty in the world to conduct any experiment for the purpose of science.

Through the files of research and field notes, Kurotsuchi had analyzed the structure of the garganta and had proposed an experiment to see whether he could effectively open a portal to the Living World.

"I will go to the Living World," Unohana-taichou had volunteered believing in Kurotsuchi-taichou's skills, not because he was a reputable scientist but because he hated to lose when it came to Urahara Kisuke.

Hitsugaya was just about to go with her when the Fourth Division captain glanced over him before looking over Harribel. "No, I think it best if you stay here Hitsugaya-taichou."

Immediately he protested. Unohana was going to the Living World to revive all the injured vice-captains.

"Kuchiki-taichou and Zaraki-taichou are currently fighting the Zero Espada, Yammy. At the moment we don't know what happened to Kurosaki-san, but he may very well be dead. Search for Inoue-san to see if that may be the very chance. Remember our mission," she stressed.

Hitsugaya sighed and agreed.

"Very good then," she said smiling at him. "I'm sure with Harribel-san's help you'll be able to find Inoue-san much more quickly."

He figured this was probably why Unohana wanted him to stay. Harribel refused to talk to any of the other captains and would subsequently refuse to tell anyone about Las Noches and they especially needed her knowledge at the moment. Las Noches was a large and vastly complicated palace. A sector was devoted for each of the Espada with a primary building for Aizen, where meetings were held. There was no exact method of locating Inoue, so Harribel's input would be greatly needed.

The portal opened, a rip in the sky showing nothing but an abyss. Kurotsuchi made some last minute instructions and Unohana ordered her vice-captain to stay behind and attend to Abarai Renji's and Sado Yasutora's wounds. Yachiru would also stay behind to provide backup to Isane but of course the little girl ran away to watch Ken-chan fight. When the gaping hole in the sky disappeared, Harribel and Hitsugaya headed towards the main building, in search for Inoue.

The enormous size of Yammy Riyalgo continuously shook the ground and crumbled walls and buildings. With each minute he got angrier having lost a leg and the fact that Zaraki continuously taunted him, complaining that his punch wasn't good enough.

Currently they were along a winding staircase- a secret passage Harribel had asserted that lead directly to the main hall.

"Toshiro," Harribel repeated. He looked up, noticing her eyes gently scrutinizing him. There was a look in his eyes, something that she could readily identify with.

"What is it?"

He wanted to answer her honestly, but he didn't know what just happened. This premonition, what did it mean? "I don't know," he answered truthfully. A brief image of the horrible illusion flashed through his mind and for a moment he could almost feel the black earth and see the red skies and the lone corpse rotting in the dead center.

"C'mon lets keep going," he said taking another step on the winding staircase. Harribel remain motionless, still pondering his strange behaviour, before hurrying along the steps with him.

"Are you very close to your vice-captain?"

Harribel met his gaze calmly and took a step, at eye level with him.

"She's very important to me," Hitsugaya answered, hastily turning his head away from her gaze. Her green eyes were so powerful, like staring into a hot flame. "Like you and you're fraccion."

"What?"

Isane had dressed her in a pale yellow kimono, after Harribel had been quite adamant about not wearing a shinigami uniform. The kimono was slight large on her and she had to tie it tightly with a white obi. Still he couldn't help but notice how the yellow seemed so weak against her blazing eyes.

"Sorry," he apologized, mentally reprimanding himself for being insensitive.

Harribel said nothing, her eyes still fixed on his face. Unconsciously, she touched the blood soak rag on her collar. He had ripped a piece of his haori to save her- the enemy he had been fighting a moments ago.

"Let's go," she answered her voice strong and echoing throughout the staircase.

The staircase continued to wind, dark and silent except for the flickering of candlelight from the lanterns overhead. The trembling continued, but it was not from the inside anymore, rather from the fight outside with Zaraki and Yammy. Harribel had explained that out of all Espada's, Yammy Riyalgo was the most unusual one. He had the power of being both the strongest and the weakest Espada, but this power depended on how much spiritual energy he had devoured.

Deep cracks ran on the smooth walls like spider webs, dust falling with every tremble.

At last a heavy door was visible situated directly on the ceiling. Harribel pulled on the old metal rings, the hinges creaking as the trapdoor opened to an empty corridor. Immediately, trapdoor shut behind them, disappearing with the white floors.

Hitsugaya didn't know what to expect but he was surprised to see white polished floors and high white ceilings. It reminded him of an asylum, which would have made perfect sense since all three of the traitors- Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen- were mad in their quest for power.

Their footsteps echoed as they passed through corridors, with nothing to see but white walls and white floors. But then the lighting increased, the corridors widening and they entered the largest room of the palace. It resembled a throne room- that was the only way Hitsugaya could describe it. It was a cavernous room with a raised platform and a throne set atop, overlooking those below him.

Somehow the idea of Aizen sitting on that chair like a king, made him sick.

At the far end of the room, the wall had collapsed allowing a clear view of Hueco Mundo and the massive size of Yammy fighting the ant like figure of Zaraki.

"The girl was imprisoned on the floor below us," Harribel said. It was amazing how only a few hours ago, she had stood here listening to Aizen's speech. She shook her head pushing back the memory. "She escaped after the invaders penetrated Las Noches, but Starrk brought her here."

But Inoue wasn't here. The throne room had been utterly destroyed, with blood marks forever stained on the white floors, many sized craters all around, and the huge opening on the wall opposite them. There were also many markings, small holes that indented the floor. "Inoue must be with Ishida," he said out loud. The markings didn't resemble any kidou spells and considering that neither Kurosaki nor Inoue knew kidou, it must be Quincy arrow marks.

Now the only problem was searching for Ishida.

"Over here," Harribel said standing over the edge of the broken wall. "They must have gone to the dome then. Ulquiorra was there a little while ago."

Hitsugaya was just about to ask what the blinding light from the dome was when a footstep reverted in the distance. Steady the footsteps grew louder and louder, accompanied by something else- as though something was being dragged?

"Ulquiorra," Harribel called out sensing his familiar spiritual energy, she was just about to take a step forward when Hitsugaya grabbed her wrist. "He won't attack me," she clarified. Out of all the Espada she had gotten along with Ulquoirra. He was quiet most of the time, pondering about his existence and the meaning of a heart. In some ways they were similar, except she had found her fraccion to help fill that void. Ulquiorra had always been alone.

"Something's wrong," Hitsugaya continued keeping a steady hold on her wrist. She could just recognize Ulquiorra's spiritual energy, though small and weakening, but it was still there. But there was something else accompanying, something heavy and dense.

The footsteps became rapid until whatever it was rushed, still dragging the object. An earsplitting howl echoed throughout the palace, wild and ruthless, like a half mad animal.

Hitsugaya clutched on Harribel hand, about to run in the opposite direction. His instincts were screaming that something was wrong that he had to get as far away as possible.

And then out of no where the creature appeared in front of him. It smirked evilly, blood dripping down its front as though it had just been eating.

It had been dragging the dying body of Ulquiorra but now it tossed it aside, seeing a new prey.

Again the creature let out another howl, ready to kill.


	6. Chapter 6

-

-

"Proyectil Azul!"

Energy gathered toward the tip of Harribel's sword, Tiburon, rapidly forming into a ball of spiritual energy. In an instant the ball of energy shot was released, like a canon. The creature seemed slightly startled, but it didn't have time to react as the ball of rietsu came rapidly, brutally slammed the creature against the wall. The wall trembled against the raw strength before falling into chunks, effectively burying the creature in debris.

"What the hell is that?" Hitsugaya whispered. He had fought many opponents in his young life, but never had he been shaken by one. This creature it was so cold and inhuman. _"It feels like I'm staring into an abyss and there's no bottom."_

"I don't know," she answered. She highly doubt that the creature was part of Aizen's armies, but then again Aizen could just have easily kept information from her, one of the top three Espada. Still the question remained what was that thing and how did it get here?

There was a harsh grunt as the creature moved underneath the heavy debris. With one swift stroke it emerged from the rubble, hissing, eyes lusting for blood.

In all her wildest dreams, Harribel had never seen something so hideous and bloodthirsty. Perhaps Allon- the chimera that Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun summoned- could come close to comparison, but this creature was wilder, stronger and faster. It was a strange creature with the body of a human but the mind of a newborn hollow that was constantly craving hungry. A white and red mask covered its head, sharp horns emitting from its skull. Tangles of long orange hair flew behind it, talons growing from its hands and feet and what looked like a large hole on its chest.

Harribel glanced over at Hitsugaya. He been slightly shaken a few moments ago, but now she could see that his resolve was back. This thing was a mere obstacle, a road blocker, and he needed to get beyond.

His eye caught hers; and though it was for the briefest of seconds, though he did not say or do anything, Harribel could tell. His eyes- his compassionate green eyes that had been so distraught at her lifeless body- were asking for help. It was as though he had shouted in this broken down palace, _"Please I need your help. I can't do this alone."_

It was so strange. So strange since only a few minutes ago, not even two hours ago, they had been attempting to kill one another. She had sliced off his arm, though it proved to be a clone, and he had entrapped her in an obelisk of ice.

Harribel nodded. The simple nod telling him,_ "Do not worry. I will help you."_

The creature pulled out a black blade, stabbing it angrily against the marble floor. Immediately a ripple spread throughout the polished floors, like water. A harsh crack echoed through the air. as the marble began to crack.

The floor was about to dissolve in their very feet.

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heaven Hyorinmaru." Hyorinmaru extending into a crescent-shaped blade, a long metal chain attached on the hilt. Hitsugaya stabbed his sword against the floor, ice rapidly coursing through the floor, allowing it to remain whole.

But the creature was behind him in a flash, a ruthless grin on its face. It gripped its black sword and swiped a blast of pure dark energy. Hitsugaya dodged, using flash steps, his cheek grazed as he barely missed the blunt of the attack. Another hole appeared on the wall, but the blast of black energy did not stop- it continued to fly away, breaking into an adjacent building.

Whatever the creature was, it was strong and incredibly fast.

Harribel gripped her hollow sword, a torrent of water issuing out. The creature whirled its ugly head around, attempting to fight the gushes of water- and it did so for a moment- before the icy floors caused it to slip. In a rush the creature flew across the room, falling onto a heap.

Water continued to wash over the creature, leaving it immobile against the wall from the sheer pressure. Soon ice began to form, thin at first but rapidly growing thicker as the volume of water continued to increase. Within a moment the creature did not struggle, as the ice effectively sealed it away.

Hitsugaya dropped on the floor panted from exhaustion. "This environment makes it difficult to use water."

This dried, arid environment of Hueco Mundo made it difficult to create ice. The water vapor was somehow constricting and he couldn't tap into his powers as easily.

"You've done well," Harribel said, wiping the sweat from her brow- a small sign to just how difficult it was for her to control water in these dry lands.

They were both manipulators of water, and she too had experienced the similar exhaustion from tapping into limited water vapor. But over time she had gotten used to it and learned the proper method of extracting water from the environment. Still she thought it was astonishing that Toshiro could manipulate water to this extent, especially on his first trip to Hueco Mundo.

"I don't think this ice will hold," Hitsugaya mentioned touching the thin layer of ice on the marble floor.

"This thing. It looks familiar," Harribel began curiously staring at the creature that was frozen in the block of ice.

The creature, whatever it was reminded her one of the invaders that had penetrated Las Noches. The invader had fought against Grimmjow, and had surprisingly been strong enough to match Grimmjow.

"Does it belong in Aizen's armies?" Hitsugaya asked.

"No," she paused for a moment, and it took all her will not to think of her fraccion. Apache had been afraid at the sheer strength, and Harribel had comforted her- mentioning that her fear was reasonable between these two titans. "It somewhat reminds me of the boy that fought Grimmjow."

The battle had been nerve wracking and heart pounding, but Harribel knew that she could win against that boy. Now staring down at this half-mad creature, Harribel couldn't help but wonder whether this was the same boy that had defeated Grimmjow.

"C'mon we've got to find Inoue," Hitsugaya said, flash stepping across the room and into the hallway where the creature had come from. Harribel followed until a thought suddenly drawn on her.

"Wait." She approached the limp, crumbled form of Ulquiorra.

The Fourth Espada had always been quiet and calm, yielding and understanding no emotions. So when Harribel bend down to see his dying face, Ulquiorra calmly stared at her. He was still in his resurreccion form but his arm and leg were missing. His pale white skin held cuts and bruises, where the creature had dragged him.

"Has Aizen-sama returned?" he asked.

Harribel pitied him. Pitied him and her fraccion and herself for foolishly believing in that bastard, who in the end cared only for himself and power.

"No, he hasn't," she answered showing no sign of the wrath and hatred she felt towards that man. No longer would she refer to him as Aizen-sama.

"I was supposed to protect that woman," he closed his eyes briefly.

"Where is she?" Harribel asked. She saw the somber face of Toshiro, whom somehow knew that he shouldn't be impatient around this dying arrancar.

"Shinigami," Ulquiorra continued noticing his presence. "What will you do to that woman?"

Hitsugaya seemed unsure about answering the question. Inoue had been branded a traitor and would consequently be arrested if she returned to Soul Society. Once arrested a trail would take place. If Inoue was found guilty, she could possible face execution.

"She is needed in the Living World," Hitsugaya answered. "She will return to Soul Society afterwards."

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment. "She is in the next tower healing one of her comrades. Leave me."

There was an earsplitting crack in the air as the ice holding the creature began to break. Maybe it was his inadequacy in creating ice in this environment or the creature's strength, but the ice was breaking and within a matter of seconds it would be free.

Harribel glanced back at Ulquiorra's face. He could not regenerate such extensive damage."Ulquiorra-"

"I apologize for giving the location of that woman to the enemy, but I do not have much time left. I would like to at least know that that woman, Inoue Orihime is safe. Please let it be my dying wish."

Harribel said nothing. She no longer cared whether Ulquiorra failed his duty to Aizen, on the contrary she was helping Toshiro- a shinigami and the enemy- to retrieve Inoue Orihime. Still this simple dying wish meant a slight betray towards Aizen. In the end Ulquiorra had cared more for this girl than Aizen.

"I promise she'll be safe," Toshiro answered for her. "I will do everything in my power to make sure she is safe."

A small smile appeared on Ulquiorra's face and gradually he stood, fearless and determined. "Find her. I'll hold him off."

The creatures screamed echoed chilling throughout the room. It took a glance at the three inhabitants before charging towards them, black sword pointed out. The thin ice collapsed under the creature's weight, the floor crumbling too. In a quick blur the creature disappeared to the floor below them.

"Go."

Hitsugaya nodded, before Harribel stayed for a few seconds saying good bye. As their footsteps disappeared into the distance, Ulquiorra realized that at last he had the answer.

He had often wondered about human emotions- just what was it that made humans so easily throw away their lives for? He had often heard of the heart, but he was against the idea, since it was something he could not see nor hear. But now as he faced the formal remains of the boy called Kurosaki Ichigo, he thought he could understand if only a little.

-

* * *

-

Ise Nanao sighed in exhaustion. Since the captains and vice-captains headed off into battle she had been in charge of taking care of Soul Society. Granted it was probably nothing compared to the battle currently taking place, but taking care of Thirteen Divisions was tiring.

"Ise-fukutaichou," a shinigami from the Seventh Division said, properly greeting his commanding officer. "Karakura Town continues to be safe. All the inhabitants remain asleep as well."

"Good." She had sent out three squads to constantly keep surveillance of the real Karakura Town, not just because of the possibility of Aizen appearing in Soul Society, but to make sure inhabitants from Roukongai or wandering hollows didn't find the place. "Shift watch in another ten minutes. Then continue with your normal duties."

"Yes ma'am," the shingiami said, bowing once again before disappearing.

Again Nanao sighed. This extra work wasn't the only thing on her mind. A shinigami from the Fourth Division had racing to her, exclaiming that Hinamori-kun had disappeared. It was obvious that Hinamori had gone to the living world and perhaps engulfed herself in the battle. In particular Nanao was worried whether Hinamori would confronted Aizen.

At the thought of it, she felt herself go weak. Nothing good could come out of seeing Aizen again, and in the end it would only bring more heartache and pain for Hinamori.

"Ise-fukutaichou!"

Nanao snapped from her thoughts, paying attention to a First Division shinigami that had urgently come. "I have just received a message from Sasakibe-fukutaichou requesting that they have arrived in West Roukongai."

The vice-captain leaped on her feet. "Then the battle is over."

"It appears so ma'am," he shifted for a moment until Nanao looked at him. "They are accompanied by allies that called themselves the vizards."

She wondered who these people could be, but decided that at the moment it didn't matter, so long as the vizards were allies. "Send a squad from the Fourth Division in advance. I'm sure there are..."

"I'm sorry ma'am but it appears that Unohana-taichou is with them."

"Unohana-taichou? Are you sure?"

"Yes. She was attending the wounds of a vizards and Ukitake-taichou."

It was certainly puzzling, considering that Unohana-taichou had been sent to Hueco Mundo. How did she end up in the living world?

"I'll go meet them myself," she said already heading for the door. Another shinigami lead her to the remote location where the captains and vice-captains had just arrived. Since they had arrived in a pasture ground, on the outskirts of Roukongai it was easy to spot them.

"Yamamato-soutaichou," she greeted properly to the older man. He seemed beyond exhaustion as though the battle had cost him so much more. Accordingly, an illusion had been cast, trapping their minds away from their bodies. But just as suddenly the illusion had disappeared and Aizen was gone.

They had searched thoroughly, but Aizen had vanished without a trace. "For all we know Aizen has found a way to enter into Soul Society. As soon as the remaining captains return from Hueco Mundo, tell the Kidou Corps to cast another spell."

"Yes sir."

The commander-general left, his mind preoccupied in preparations for the next battle.

It was quiet for a moment except for the bickering between two vizards- one was taunting and laughing at the other for having a stupid look on his face, the other was wishing that maybe she'd be better off dead- before they broke into angry shoving and kicking one another.

"Ah excuse me Ise-fukutaichou but has Hitsugaya-taichou arrived?" Unohana-taichou said, a slight worried look on her gentle face.

"No ma'am. None of the captains from Hueco Mundo have arrived yet."

"Oh," she looked sad for a moment. "Please tell Hitsugaya-taichou that I must speak to him. Immediately. Whenever he arrives."

Nanao was just about to say yes when she heard a familiar voice. A voice that she hadn't heard in over a hundred years. She turned to see Lisa Yadomaru.

-

* * *

-

"That Arrancar, Ulquiorra," Hitsugaya said as he and Harribel climbed the stairs. "Did you know him very well?"

He didn't know what caused him to prompt the question, but Hitsugaya noted that Harribel had become unusually quiet. It wasn't the familiar sadness he had saw when her fraccion died and she had been momentarily driven by revenge. Rather she was quiet as though thinking about something.

"I got along with him fairly well," Harribel answered her eyes steady. "We shared similar thoughts about the meaning of our existence, but he took a different approach than I did."

"And what is your approach?"

"A hollows existence isn't merely to feast on other weaker beings, otherwise I would have found satisfaction in my life long ago."

"You were enlightened then?"

"Yes I suppose you could think of it that way. But I soon began to ponder about my existence. Soon that was all I could do. I would sit on the highest rock and think about it for days, weeks even and then they came."

He didn't need to ask who. Already he could see from the pain in her eyes that it was her fraccion. "They gave you a purpose?"

"Yes," she answered feeling the overwhelming sadness. "At the beginning it was to help Aizen's cause but gradually I realized that it was something more than that. I wanted to protect them. I wanted to make sure that we could see this new world together."

Harribel was silent for a moment. He had wanted to ask what now? Her fraccion was dead, so what was her purpose? But in the end Hitsugaya decided against it. She didn't like it when her fraccion was mentioned, to her it was still an open wound.

"It's the same for me too," he finally answered after the lengthened pause. "I want to protect those people important to me."

Las Noches was relatively quiet as they traveled further up stairs. In a few seconds the stairs stopped, widening into a hallway that led to a second building. The second building was relatively intact compared to the one behind it. However, debris littered the floor, dust still lingering the air. As they continued further into the room, they were met with silence and once again the familiar white walls. Their footsteps echoed loudly, too loudly that it made Hitsugaya wince at the harsh noise. Perhaps, it was the environment but his hearing felt super sensitive.

Suddenly, a thin beam of light shot into view, barely missing Harribel. Already on defense, Hitsugaya wondered just what sort of enemy they had encountered this time when suddenly he saw something white and ginger run toward him.

"Toshiro-kun!" Inoue cried hugging him tightly. Her body began to shake as she broke down into tears, crying because she was happy that he was alive but sad because she had been the cause of all this. She had come to Hueco Mundo to protect her friends, but in the end she had led them to a slow suffering. Hitsugaya hadn't become good friends with Inoue as Matsumoto had, but he generally got along with her. Still he felt himself stiffen for a moment at her embrace before putting a comforting hand over her. Harribel watched the two, saying anything.

After her sniffing had subsided, Inoue parted and smiled. She was pale and thin, Hitsugaya noted, with bruises and claw marks all over her face. The white dress she was wearing was torn and soaked in blood.

"Sorry Toshiro-kun," Inoue said sheepishly. "You don't like to be hugged."

"Don't worry about it," he said turning around. Ishida was there, still holding his Quincy bow and arrows. He seemed unsure whether he should keep his guard around Harribel but he met Hitsugaya's eye and he hesitantly put down his bow.

"Is Karakura Town safe?" Ishida asked getting straight to the point.

"At the moment," Hitsugaya answered. "We've join forces with this group that called themselves the vizards. Inoue," he began thinking of the battle he had left. "Matsumoto is gravely injured. Unohana-taichou went to the Living World but we still need your help."

-


	7. Chapter 7

-

-

Harribel led them into a maze of empty corridors and rooms. Like the rest of the white palace, there wasn't anything remotely interesting. Everything was just as uniformly the same, silent and pallid. With the addition of Inoue and Ishida, no one spoke. Hitsugaya did not question her about her time in Las Noches and she did not question him about the important people he spoke so softly of.

Instead the the blonde Espada merely advanced through the white corridors, the yellow kimono that she wore swaying with every step that she took.

"Hitsugaya-kun who is she?" Ishida whispered. Of course he had noticed this strange woman that had accompanied Hitsugaya and though he had been uneasy and doubtful around her, he couldn't help but notice that she was helping them. Still he couldn't help but be nervous around her, since this was her domain. For all he knew she could be leading them into a trap. Already he had become paranoid that Inoue would be snatched away, hidden deeper into the palace.

"Her name is Tia Harribel. She's not the enemy," Hitsugaya repeated, noticing the similarity of events. Unohana-taichou and Kuchiki-taichou had also asked the same question and though Hitsugaya had tried to reassure them, they had still looked trouble. Like both his colleagues, Ishida had still looked trouble.

"Is she an Espada?" he continued. She did not wear the standard white clothing of an Espada, but Ishida had quickly picked up her massive amount of spiritual; perhaps what was more intimidating, was Harribel's face. She hadn't been able to hide her face, so instead of a smooth face with pink lips, it was replaced by a skeletal hollow mask. The mask was bone white, contrasting greatly against her dark skin. Jagged long teeth made up most of her face before the white mask covered her neck and disappeared underneath her kimono.

It was the mask, Hitsugaya realized. He hadn't notice the mask, preferring to look at her eyes, but now he realized that it was this mask that reinforced that she was a hollow, despite her physical human form. But Ishida's question brought to mind something else. Underneath her clothing, tattooed on her left breast was the sharp number three. Tres Espada.

Hitsugaya frowned. He didn't like to think of Harribel as the Tres Espada, though it was such an obvious fact. So he answered with what he wanted to hear, though he was completely unsure. "Not anymore."

He saw Harribel straighten up at his response. She did not say anything though- neither contradicting him nor agreeing with him- she simply continued walking forward.

Ishida must have picked up the uneasiness behind his question, so he said no more and continued silently. Inoue directly be his side.

The wide hallway narrowed leading to a spiraling stairway. But instead of automatically descending, Harribel paused. "Toshiro," she said looking directly at him.

He shifted his weight, her familiar green eyes causing his heart to beat rapidly.

"These stairs led to the debriefing room, where we last saw Ulquiorra-"

Suddenly Inoue gasped, the only sound she had made ever since they had left the second building. "I-Is Ulquiorra-san..." she began but then her voice broke. It had been Ulquiorra, her kidnapper, that had ended up saving her life in the end. When Kurosaki-kun had transformed, it had attacked her viciously. Ishida-kun had tried to step in, to reason with Kurosaki but he had become wild and had gutted Ishida-kun in the stomach.

She had been left terrified as her shield shattered into a million pieces, and she saw the bloody eyes of the monster. Ulquiorra had stepped in, one of his limps missing, and had transported her away from the dome. "Do not be afraid," he has said. "You said you were not afraid."

With a swish Ulquiorra had vanished, leaving her to heal Ishida.

"He told us where you were," Hitsugaya answered. "Before that wild hollow."

Inoue covered her face, trying to hide the tears that were rushing out, but they rolled down her chin, hitting the floor. It had been her fault. Her fault that Kurosaki-kun had converted to that monster. If she hadn't asked for his help, if she had relied more on herself instead of others, he wouldn't have lost his mind. When he rose, his injuries complete healed, he was no longer the boy that she had once loved. No he had become ruthless and emotionless with the desire to kill.

Ishida put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Hitsugaya-kun that wild hollow is Kurosaki."

Hitsugaya's eyes widen, remembering the cold spiritual energy. It seemed as though he had been staring at an abyss, instead of the loud rude boy that had promised to protect his friends. "Kurosaki? That's Kurosaki?" he said to himself but then another thought came to mind.

_"Very well the mission is clear," Yamamato's voice echoed in the captain's chamber, hours before the battle had begun. "This is our last hope." _

He hadn't been personally given the mission. His mission was to stop Aizen and his Espada at the Fake Karakura Town, but things had drastically changed after the vizards butted in. Despite this, he understood the importance of the mission and he simply couldn't ignore it.

"We have to find Kurosaki-kun," Inoue spoke wiping away the tears. "We can't leave him behind."

Her face was determined and set, despite her red and puffy eyes.

Harribel looked at Hitsugaya, the simple look saying_ "Would they be alright?" _

Perhaps if the two of them worked together like they did before, they could immobilize Kurosaki. However, they had increased in number and though that might have been advantageous at another time, Harribel could see that it would be a disadvantage more than anything else. Kurosaki's blood lust meant that he wouldn't hesitate to attack bystanders, and since both Ishida and Inoue had been rather depleted of spiritual energy, they couldn't withstand a fight.

_"I'm not sure,"_ he said with another glance.

In reality he couldn't afford to have Inoue exposed to danger. He had come to Hueco Mundo for Matsumoto's sake. Inoue was the only one that could heal such an extensive injury, but Unohana had gone ahead to the Fake Karakura Town. Matsumoto was probably safe, Hinamori too.

"Let's continue," he agreed. "But if it gets too dangerous, you'll have to leave."

Hitsugaya descend down the stairs to avoid both Inoue's and Ishida's protest. Unlike a few minutes ago, there were no trembling and earsplitting sounds of something breaking. Cracks didn't appear every five seconds on the polish walls, nor did dust fall from the ceiling. The stairway was simply worn, resembled a component of an old broken down house. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the spiraling stairway until at last they reached the final steps.

Harribel took out her sword, Hitsugaya doing likewise and with a nod, the door burst open and they filed out of the staircase, ready for whatever may come.

But it was empty. A breeze ruffled their hair, from the enormous hole on the wall, the dyed blue sky and the many sand dunes visible from the opening. Outside the enormous size of Yammy was absent and so were the explosions that usually accompanied it. Perhaps the fight with Yammy and Zaraki had long been concluded.

Glancing about the room, Hitsugaya could see more bloodstains and burnt marks along the walls and floors. Further ahead the floor had abruptly ended- the ice Hitsugaya had used to support the flooring and as a trap, had shattered creating a sort of cliff. Below he could only guess the amount of damage.

They jumped to the floor below, the damage even worse than the floor above. Columns had collapsed one after the other and enormous crater size holes scattered throughout the floor. Still Kurosaki was not in sight.

Hitsugaya was just about to suggest that they should follow the damage when suddenly he felt a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. It left him almost frozen, not from fear but from shock. _"What the hell is he doing here?" _

"It's him," Harribel whispered, her green eyes widen in surprise.

"Ishida get Inoue out of here," he whispered. "Go to Kurotsuchi, he found a way to analyze Gargantas."

Ishida had looked doubtful at his old request but then he picked up the spiritual energy.

"What about you Hitsugaya-kun?" Inoue whispered. By now she had recognized the familiar presence.

"Don't worry about me. Just get out of here. If you'll stay here, he'll only use you again. You'll be doing more damage than good."

He clutched Hyorinmaru, his eyes quickly scanning the entire area. Good he hadn't reached them yet.

Inoue look like she wanted to say something else, but Ishida grabbed her shoulder and led her away. His spiritual energy illuminated the broken down room as he created a sort of elevator. It hovered for a moment outside the palace before both of them stepped in, and it dropped until it reached the sandy grounds of Las Noches. He had only discovered this power of his, but he was not proud. The cuts and bruises on Inoue's face were because of him. If he had never brought her to the dome, maybe Kurosaki wouldn't have transformed into that monster and attacked her.

Hitsugaya sighed, turning his gaze towards Harribel. She had been surprised but immediately her features became cool and emotionless. He wondered what she was thinking of, what sort of conflicting emotions she must be experiencing.

Nonetheless Hitsugaya could tell that Harribel was ready. The number three might be tattooed on her left breast, but that meant nothing.

"I thought you were here Hitsugaya-kun."

There was a new voice, a voice that he despite and hated more than anything else. It sent a shiver up his spine but he blocked it, the hatred overwhelming the fear.

"It's so good to see you. I was just about to offer you a cup of tea."

From the shadows, Aizen stepped a wicked smirk on his face.

-

* * *

-

He entered the formal remains of Las Noches with excruciating care. Though he could not see, he had always known the location of physical objects and could maneuver between them. But the destroyed palace made it difficult for him to navigate.

His arm was cut and bleeding from the battle at Karakura Town, but he didn't let such a mild thing disrupt him. Not like Ichimaru anyway.

The silver-haired man always had snide remarks or clever puns, however ever since their return he had been unusually quiet. Tousen did not understand what was wrong with him, but he did not question him. There was no sort of formal comradeship between them, and there would never be, instead Tousen would only see him as a soldier for Aizen-sama's cause.

A slight miscalculation had occurred with too many unknown variables, but Aizen would not be defeated. There was not one person that could stop that man when he wanted something. Instead if he met some obstacle or detour, Aizen would patiently wait, carefully calculate things and setting traps until finally he got what he wanted. The battle today had been a disaster, with the appearance of what should have been the dead Hirako Shinji.

But Aizen would not be stopped. He would not rest until he sits on the throne as king and ruler of all. Already Aizen has come up with a new plan, a better plan, and has already made his preparations. No sooner had they arrived to Hueco Mundo did another opportunity appear, Aizen of course would not back away from the chance.

There was a growl, a loud growl that echoed throughout the room. Tousen could not see but based on the sound vibrations he could guessed he was in a large spacious room. The floor vibrated, as heavy footsteps pounded against the floor, as something monstrous approached him. It let out an earsplitting roar, and Tousen winced feeling sharp talons rip his front. He pulled out his sword with his uninjured hand, ready to capture this creature.

Aizen had given him this task because he could easily detect the location of spiritual energy and handicap the senses. This would be needed, since he needed to capture this beast alive. Tousen did not understand Aizen's bizarre order, but than again this was another step. One of the many steps they had taken in past and would probably take in the future.

For now he would just have to capture this beast that was once the remains of a boy named Kurosaki.

-

* * *

-

Rukia awoke- her neck stiff and feeling blood trickling down her forehead. Behind her were the formal remains of a white palace and many sand dunes. That's right she was in Hueco Mundo. She had come to rescue Inoue.

"Please do not move Rukia. You are still unwell."

"Nii-sama," she said, recognizing her brother's stoic face. His haori was still missing and he had gotten several bloodstains on his torn robes. Looking at him, he didn't resemble the fine aristocrat rather an ordinary shinigami. "What happened? That arrancar, Yammy..."

"Zaraki defeated it, moments ago." There was some unpleasant tone in his voice. Her brother had never liked Zaraki Kenpachi, referring him as a savage, a simpleton. Likewise Zaraki disliked his suck up, snotty attitude. Some how this created a rivalry. Her brother's displeasure must mean that he lost another round with the Eleventh Division captain. It would probably be best not to ask what happened.

"Nii-sama we have to go search for Inoue. She's still in Las Noches." She was just about to sit up when her brother put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hitsugaya went to search for Inoue. He should be returning and I'm sure Kurosaki is with them."

"Hitsugaya-taichou?" she asked. "How did he get here?"

But her question did not get answer. Suddenly an enormous spiritual pressure appeared in Hueco Mundo.

"I-Is that Aizen?" Rukia whispered her face pale. She would never forget Aizen's deception and betrayal. While she had lamented her past misdeeds and convinced herself that at last she was being punished for killing her mentor, Aizen was pulling the strings. He had been the one responsible for everything- for sentencing her to a death penalty she did not desire, for endangering the lives of her friends, for hurting her brother.

He was searching for the Hogyoku and he didn't care how many people he had to hurt.

There was a sudden flash of light that nearly made Rukia jump. Kurotsuchi-taichou and his vice-captain appeared before her brother, having sense the enormous spiritual energy. Zaraki had not appeared as Isane finished healing his wounds. "Aizen is here."

The Sixth Division captain did not say anything. He continued to keep his stoic appearance, unfathomed by this unlikely event.

Kurotsuchi continued. "Hitsugaya has not returned yet. Most likely he has met Aizen and is now dead."

Though he did not say it, Byakuya could hear what he was inferring. The Espada had betrayed him and led him to Aizen. It may have been very likely, but there was no proof.

"What about our mission?" he continued.

Byakuya's face suddenly became sour. His colleague was blunt and insensitive and generally did not care what happened to Soul Society, so long as he got his research funds. Likewise he probably wouldn't have cared about this mission either, if it weren't a direct order from the commander-general.

"See if you can open a portal to Soul Society and get everyone there. I will stay behind to search for Kurosaki, but if I do not return in thirty minutes than you may leave with your vice-captain."

The scientist smiled, the smile looking more creepy than friendly. "Since I have effectively analysis the properties of a Garganta I can open a portal to Soul Society. But if you do not return in thirty minutes then I will leave and tell the commander-general that it was a lost cost," he said with a sneer.

The Twelfth Division captain turned around, yelling at his vice-captain for just standing there and complaining rather loudly on what a useless, lazy subordinate he had. With a flash he disappeared to his work.

"Nii-sama," Rukia began. "Why are you searching for Ichigo instead of Inoue?"

Byakuya looked at his little sister, seeing the confusion in her face, but he couldn't answer her question. "You will stay here and wait for Kurotsuchi to open a portal."

"Please nii-sama," she said grasping his sleeve. "What's going on? We came to rescue Inoue but you've come to get Ichigo instead?"

"I'm sorry Rukia I cannot answer your question."

She bit her bottom lip. "Then let me come with you."

He wanted to argue, but there was such a determined look on his sister's face. Their relationship had been uneasy and only recently had things improved between them. He didn't want that fragile relationship to shatter. Byakuya sighed in frustration, giving in. The two siblings traveled through the sand dunes heading to Las Noches. There were no more guards or soldiers, they had all disappeared either abandoning their post or dying in the process.

A breeze sprayed a dust of sand across their line of vision and for a moment Rukia couldn't see. But Rukia did not need to see; already she recognized the familiar spiritual pressure. She ran without warning, calling out to Inoue.

-


	8. Chapter 8

-

-

Hesitantly, she entered trying to shrug off an unusual uneasiness. For some reason her instincts fought against her, urging her to stop insisting that this is wrong and forbidden. And its true, this is wrong and reckless: a shinigami is siding with hollows to become god. The world has been properly established and everyone has been given their assigned roles, but this man wants to break this.

No, such a bold statement was nothing more than a fantasy, nothing more than wishful thinking. It is not possible.

"Please do not hesitate," he spoke rising from his throne-like chair. She could hear Apache taking a gulp of air, trying to control her trembling as this powerful being descended the platform to stand before them.

He smiles, a kind and gentle smile that succeeds in easing her anxieties. "Welcome. I am grateful that you have traveled such a long way to Las Noches, in order to meet me."

Harribel glanced back at Apache, Mila Rose and Sun-sun. They had been particularly eager to reach Las Noches, to help serve Aizen but now that they have finally arrived they seemed frightened.

No one had imagined what extraordinary spiritual power Aizen Sosuke might possess. It was simply paralyzing.

"We have heard of you," Harribel spoke. "We have heard of your promises and your dreams of creating a new world, a better world."

"You sound particularly doubtful," he noted though not with any sort of malice.

Harribel looked away. Slowly he approached her, his white robes- not black he had shed his shinigami duties and responsibilities, so he would never wear black- swished as he stood directly in front of her. Gently he lifted her chin causing her to look up at him.

"It will be a very difficult journey, I know, but I have great visions for our future."

He spoke great things to her, spoke of a new world where everyone would be equal and live in prosperity and harmony- a world where hollows are not merely seen as evil creatures, but where hollows could have a purpose in life. The more he spoke the more Harribel listened, something like anticipation coursing through her. He was the one. He was the one that would give her a purpose, a meaning to her existence.

Up till now her life had been simply to survive in the wild deserts of Huecho Mundo, but now she discovered something more to her existence.

"I will be a just and kind god," he continued, his words like honey. "Will you help me? You have tremendous power and that power could be put to good use."

"I will help you Aizen-sama," she whispered bowing her head.

But it was a lie.

Everything it was all a lie.

It was a sick plan for that greed bastard to get power, more power.

"Ah I see you are accompanied with Harribel," Aizen said good-naturally as though this was nothing more than an informal gathering. She had sensed his presence immediately and though she had reacted cool and emotionless, it was now impossible. Anger and hatred boiled within her, like some fiercest heating cauldron. Harribel prided herself in her ability to stay calm and rational but for the first time she found it increasingly difficult.

_"They believed in you. They died for you."_

Her fraccion was dead, upholding his name and values until the bitter end. But Aizen didn't care. He didn't care how many people he had to sacrifice, so long as he got his power.

"How are you Harribel? You seem slightly shaken."

Harribel flew at him, thrusting her sword at him. Tiburon pierced through his chest, blood rapidly staining his white robes. Again she pierced his chest, the sharp sword slicing through flesh and bones until it poked out from his body. In a rapid movement she yanked the sword from his flesh, attempting to strike him again. But like his visions and promises, it was nothing more than an illusion.

"Didn't I tell you?" A voice spoke directly behind her and Harribel turned her head seeing a flash of silver come racing through. "You will never raise your sword against me."

She had expected the sword to rip through her face, to feel a swell of pain ripping through her body, to have blood spilling on the floor. She didn't expect a flash of silver to stop the blow.

"Don't let him get to you," Toshiro spoke after the two swords broke. He skidded to a halt beside her, a stream of blood running down his forehead. "I know how you feel," he continued his eyes resting predatory on Aizen. "I want nothing more than to make this bastard pay."

"That's very interesting for you to say Hitsugaya-kun, especially from you," Aizen said recalling Hitsugaya's threats when he saw the lifeless Hinamori. "You, of all people, gets so easily distracted-"

"Shut up Aizen. I'm sick of hearing your shit."

Harribel paused glancing at the back of Hitsugaya. She hadn't been able to see it before, but now she could. She could see the pain and frustration behind his cool voice. She could see that while she had been hurt and betrayed by Aizen, he had been too.

The smirk remained on Aizen's face. "You're speaking so bravely Hitsugaya-kun but I can see how terrified you really are."

For a moment he caught a glimpse of the torture he had been through. He could see the red sky and the black earth and he could hear, just briefly the buzzing- the buzzing of maggots slowly eating a corpse, slowly devouring that familiar face. He pushed away the feeling, pushing behind the fright and reversion and tries to concentrate on the present. The pressure on his shoulder causes him to look up.

"You're right," Harribel answered, her hand on his shoulder. The hatred and pain was still there in her eyes, but Hitsugaya could see they weren't as clouded as before. Harribel was reasonable and patient again, just as he remembered her.

"We'll have to work together."

Separately they have struggled but together they might stand a chance. Hitsugaya smiled, feeling the familiar beating of his heart.

"Alright."

They're minds are so alike, too alike that they do not need words to speak to one another. They merely glance at one another and already they know what the other is thinking. For a moment this proves to be an advantage and with their logical minds they hold an upper hand. But there is a problem.

A grave problem.

Neither of them has access to the water they desire. She cannot create a sea and he cannot create an avalanche. This battlefield is not like the living world where water vapor is in such abundance and is relatively easy to manipulate into water or ice. Instead they are in Hueco Mundo- a dry, dead desert housing wandering hollows and hiding many more hollows underneath its gray sands. There is something about this environment that makes it difficult to generate sufficient water.

Because of this she cannot unleash her resurrecion and he cannot use his bankai.

So they are left fighting Aizen without using their true potential.

Hitsugaya lands roughly on the floor, holding a broken arm and tasting blood in his mouth. He is panting on the floor, tired and worn. Once again Aizen had effectively defeated him, with a simple stroke of his sword. He hadn't even gone shikai but had simply swiped his sword and muttered some spells, nearly cutting his arm off in the process. The harsh crash on the floor makes him momentarily lose conscious.

When he awakes he sees a harsh kidou spell slicing Harribel's body, ripping her clothes and bearing deep wounds. She falls slowly on the floor, blood pooling underneath her.

Surely they will die here, Hitsugaya thinks.

That's too bad. Matsumoto had made plans for his birthday, insisting on baking a cake and buying him presents. She's probably going to get mad at him, maybe whine and pout for disappearing on her. But- Hitsugaya thinks- maybe, just maybe, it's okay for him to die here.

Granted he didn't want to be buried in a desert. Hitsugaya despised the heat, preferring the cold, and dying in Hueco Mundo seemed counter intuitive. He specifically didn't want to be killed by Aizen. The son of a bitch had already destroyed and confused Hinamori, and he had vowed for revenge- though Hinamori had asked to save her captain- but he hadn't even done that.

There were a lot of things he hadn't done.

But really it's alright.

Because Unohana-taichou was already in the Fake Karakura Town attending to Matsumoto's grievous wounds and if she could not- which he highly doubted- Inoue would be arriving in Soul Society shortly and she could undo any damage. Hinamori's injuries would also be treated. Kira had said they weren't as serious but Unohana-taichou would be there to make sure Hinamori was alright.

And then maybe, just maybe Hinamori would start to smile more sincerely- not that pitiful half empty smile that he had seen on the monitor. Maybe she wouldn't have those ugly panda eyes either. Maybe she would return to being the happy, carefree girl he remembered playing with instead of sad and weepy.

_"Yes, it's alright,"_ Hitsugaya thinks. He had wanted to see Aizen dead but he knows that there are stronger, more powerful people and they would be able to stop Aizen. It's okay to die here, so long as he knows that the people he cares about are safe. That's all that matters.

He spits a mouthful of blood on the floor, and looks up to see Aizen's sharp blade. The bastard was going to kill him first and have Harribel slowly bleed to death.

"You're not afraid?"

"No," Hitsugaya answers. He had long accepted that he would be one of the causalities in the war. Perhaps his only regret right now was that he hadn't stared at her eyes long enough. He had wanted to gaze into Harribel's green eyes just a tiny bit longer but she is faced down on the floor, preventing him from seeing her face. So he can only make do with the distinct image of her eyes.

"Is that so?" Aizen continues. "From what I remember you were particularly afraid of that illusion I briefly put you on."

Aizen smiles then- a wicked and ugly look on his face- at the sudden look of panic on Hitsugaya's face. He had specifically picked such a candid image because he knew it would have the most affect on him.

"It's not real," he says though mostly to himself. He doesn't want his final images to be of the buzzing maggots and the familiar face. He would rather see Harribel's green eyes instead of the grotesque image.

"How do you know?"

Aizen laughs then, a harsh and ruthless laugh that echoed through the building. "Well I believe it is time for me to go," he says disappearing into the shadows.

Hitsugaya can barely understand it. Once again he has escaped death, but like before death was reaching towards Harribel.

"Harribel," he says quickly approaching her. She opened tired, beady eyes and sigh. Like before he can see that specific look on her face. She is eager to be with her fraccion once again.

_"No! Don't die, please don't die." _

The blood continues to pool on the floor despite the pressure he applies. He doesn't know why but he begins to panic like before when he found her lifeless body in the park. Harribel needs water, he had learned. But there is no water here and he cannot create enough ice for her.

He doesn't know why but he suddenly lifts her up, ignoring his broken ribs, and attempts to carry her outside. He nearly trips over his own feet as he tries to reach the outside of Las Noches.

"Toshiro," Harribel whispers. "Just leave me. Aizen may return. I'm only slowing you down."

"Be quiet!" he yells, continuing through the rubble of debris and broken columns.

"Why are you doing this?" she says ignoring his comment. "I'm the one that's supposed to be in your debt."

"Just be quiet, okay? I'm gonna get you out of here." He passes through another hallway, trying to quicken his pacing. Blood is staining his clothes as he holds her hip and body against him, but he doesn't see it. He wants to find an exit as soon as possible.

There was the sudden rush of footsteps and for a minute Hitsugaya feared that Aizen had returned, intent on finishing his battle.

"Hitsugaya what-?"

Kuchiki-taichou appears in front of him, sword in hand ready to fight but he freezes as he sees the bloody mess. "Kuchiki-taichou," he says exasperated. "I need help."

But Kuchiki-taichou does not rush to him. He stands calm and collected, just as he always does. "Where is Kurosaki? Have you found him?"

Through all the rush he had forgotten about Kurosaki. He shifted Harribel's weight. "I don't know where he is. I need help."

"Hitsugaya our mission-"

"I know!" he yells. "This is more important!"

Kuchiki-taichou says nothing for a moment until finally he voices his concern. "Are you bringing her to Soul Society?"

At the question Hitsugaya turns to look at him. "She needs help," he replies as though that is all the reason he needs.

"She's a hollow."

"She needs help," he repeated.

"The commander-general will not..."

"I'll take full responsibility."

Kuchiki-taichou seemed unsure before he sighed.

-

* * *

-

If Kuchiki-taichou and Unohana-taichou were cautions around Harribel then the commander-general was absolutely livid. Kurotsuchi-taichou at least had no objections to allowing an arrancar into Soul Society- to the Twelfth Division captain the presence of a live arrancar held potential for more research, despite already having plenty of samples from Yammy.

No sooner had they reached the pasture lands of Soul Society did Hitsugaya spot Inoue- having returned with Rukia Kuchiki- waiting for Kurosaki's return. But she hadn't so much as commence her healing abilities when Special Ops agents encircle them, demanding how an arrancar got into Soul Society.

When he had explained, they still seemed suspicious. For safety measures Harribel would be taken to the Fourth Division, as soon as Inoue was finished with her healing administrations. Hitsugaya in the mean time was summoned to the commander-general's office.

He had passed Ise-fukutaichou from the Eighth Division with a clipboard in hand telling him that Unohana-taichou had immediately requested his presence. But at the moment Hitsugaya didn't have time, he was being beckoned by the commander-general.

"You abandoned your post Hitsugaya-taichou and went with a known enemy to Hueco Mundo! Not only could you have been deceived..."

Hitsugaya kept his head down. He had expected a reprimand of some kind but he hadn't expected the commander-general to be so upset about it. Perhaps he had been apprehensive because he had killed Harribel's fraccion and believed that she would seek revenge.

"... I specifically gave the order to keep Aizen from Soul Society and yet you willingly bring her here!"

"With all due respect, Yamamato-soutaichou, Harribel is no longer associated with Aizen, she assisted me in rescuing Inoue-"

"Which was not your mission," the old man interrupted. He paused unconsciously pressing his hand to his chest before looking back at him. "Hitsugaya-taichou the mission was to retrieve Kurosaki Ichigo but as you have stated he is missing. Therefore you have abandoned your post and failed the assigned mission."

Hitsugaya said nothing.

"I expect better of you, instead you act outside of protocol and clearly forgot your responsibilities and duties." He rose from his desk, picking up his cane in the process. "You shall be properly punished and the arrancar will be monitored around the clock. Your punishment will be set at a later date. For now I have important matters to take care of."

He had wanted to argue but Chojiro Sasakibe, the commander-general's vice-captain, appeared from the shadows to escort Hitsugaya out.

Hitsugaya walked in silence outside the First Division's courtyards, clutching his broken arm.

To be honest Hitsugaya didn't regret his decision. He knew that though he would be subject to a serious punishment, in the end it had all been worth it. Inoue had stopped the bleeding- none of the healers had wanted to associate with an arrancar- and at the moment Harribel was alive, sleeping in a solitary room in the Fourth Division. The commander-general had said that she would be under surveillance but maybe he could find some way around that.

The Kidou Corps had been deployed, probably to create a stronger barrier around Soul Society, which explained why the commander-general hadn't kicked Harribel out- because within a few hours no one would be able to leave or enter Soul Society. This chance was an advantage but he still had to figure out a way to remove the constant surveillance around Harribel.

Hitsugaya passed through the familiar streets of the Third Division, his head lost in thoughts when suddenly he heard an unexpected sob, a familiar sob that him stop. He turned his head, locating the sound. In a small booth sat Kira and Hisagi, sake bottles littering the counter. The sob had come from Kira, who gulped a bottle of sake, tears rolling down his checks.

Normally, it wasn't all that strange to see Kira crying over something, particularly when he was drunk. However, it was fairly strange to see Kira resting his head on Hisagi's shoulder. Normally the older boy would yell at Kira to quit bawling, but for once he let him cried. Hitsugaya would have let Kira cry too if he didn't seem in so much pain for some reason.

"Kira what's wrong?"

The blonde looked up at him, the pain growing on his face. He looked at Hisagi as though he were contemplating whether he should say something that should remain a secret. Hitsugaya immediately caught on. "What happened?"

Had they head about his punishment is that why they were acting so conspicuous? "Look the commander-general already-"

"That's not it," Hisagi said. He looked carefully at Hitsugaya. Like Kira his eyes were red.

"Hitsugaya-taichou... we tried... but it happened so suddenly and there was...." He shut his mouth, looking particularly guilty as though he had said too much.

Suddenly Hitsugaya didn't understand why they became so silent but this silence was nerve racking.

"What happened?" he asked his voice rising despite himself. "Kira what happened?"

The vice-captain looked up then, his eyes red with tears still streaming down. "I'm sorry Hitsugaya-taichou.... But Matsumoto-san... died."

"W-what?"

-


	9. Chapter 9

-

-

He threw open the doors to Unohana's office, formalities completely forgotten. One of the nurses had tried to stop him as he bolted into the hospital demanding to know where Unohana was.  
_  
_"S-she's in her o-office.... Wait Hitsugaya-taichou you can't go back there!"

He raced towards the back, passing tiny Fourth Division shinigami and patients in wheelchairs and clutches. This part of the hospital was devoted for the intensive care unit but Hitsugaya didn't care as he pushed past people, knocking over files and equipment. He continued forward his mind concentrating on one thing.

Unohana-taichou. She would tell him the truth- he was sure of it- not these far-fetched lies that Kira and Hisagi had come up with. _"It's not true. It can't be true. Matsumoto isn't..." _

Unohana would explain that she had gotten to Matsumoto on time and had transported her to Soul Society. Matsumoto was probably sleeping- yes that's right- sleeping and resting and when she was better she would try to sneak away to a bar. He'd have to drag her back; threatening her to stay in bed otherwise a stack of paperwork would be waiting for her. Matsumoto would pout, just as she always does, and complain that he was being unfair and mean.

Hitsugaya just needed to find Unohana and everything would be alright.

Unohana looked up from her desk, her face collected not at all startled to see someone barging in.

"Where's Matsumoto?" he asked panting from the run. He had expected Unohana to rise from her seat, telling him that Matsumoto was just down the hallway and that he should be quiet- this was a hospital after all. Unohana however did nothing of the kind.

"Have a seat Hitsugaya-taichou," she said motioning to the seat in front of her.

He stared at her cautiously, realizing that this wasn't the respond he had expected. "Where's Matsumoto?" he repeated this time more forcible. "Where is my vice-captain?"

She sighed. "Please sit down. This may come as a bit of a shock."

Just as he had anticipated, Unohana told him the truth. She told him everything that happened when she arrived in the Fake Karakura Town- the uttered mess, the tense environment, the enormous bloodshed. At once she spotted Kira on the pavement, muttering softly to himself, muttering how utterly useless and weak he had been against his captain.

"It's alright Kira-fukutaichou," she had said gently placing a hand on his head. "You've done well; I'll take over from here."

"No, no you can't. There isn't anything here! I... failed..."

Unohana had noticed numerous collapsed building but it was one thing in particular that oriented her attention.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou passed away," she said to Hitsugaya, choosing politer words to describe the indistinguishable figure that had once been Matsumoto Rangiku. It was her vice-captain's badge that made the corpse identifiable; otherwise it resembled nothing of Matsumoto's beautiful features.

Hitsugaya's face was downcast, his hands covering his face, making it difficult to see what emotion he was experiencing.

She mentioned some other stuff but Hitsugaya wasn't listening. He suddenly couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe or think or see or hear. The world had been abruptly instilled with darkness and he was left alone. She was gone- the person that he cared about and sought to protect was gone.

An inexplicable pain shot up his chest, crushing and engulfing, nothing like he had ever felt before. It felt like a hot dagger, slowly being pushed into his chest and he couldn't stop it. As much as he tried to hold back the dagger, as much as he tried to hold back the grief, it was futile. He had gone to desert to save Matsumoto. He had risked his life fighting the hollow-like Kurosaki and Aizen all in hopes of rescuing Inoue, all in hopes of getting a healer to Matsumoto.

But it was all pointless. All his hard work was pointless.

The invisible dagger moved to the side, intricately carving his torso. He gasped, trying to breathe at the unknown pressure but it continued to push deeper within him, the pain increasingly growing.

"She's not dead," he muttered softly, trying to push back the dagger. "She's not dead. Matsumoto's not dead." He continued- repeating each mantra louder and louder, the pain in his chest lessening. He closed his eyes tightly, using his logic to make some sense of the matter.

_"Hey I know you! You're that kid from Roukongai... Isn't it funny how were always running into each other?"_

_"I'm right behind you taichou." _

_"After this war is over I'll throw you a big birthday party taichou! But remember you can't miss your own birthday party so we'll just have to make it through the war. Got it taichou?" _

And he realized. It was preposterous, absurd. People like Matsumoto don't die. They just don't.

She was alive. Yes, Matsumoto had to be alive. Without a doubt, she was probably waiting- patiently waiting- for him to return from Hueco Mundo. When she saw him, her eyes would lighten- just as they always do- and she would run up to him, giving him those bone breaking hugs before looking over him and say, 'What took you so long taichou? I was getting tired of waiting for you.'

"I realize that this is difficult for you..." Unohana began, noticing his anxiety. She realized that he couldn't take more bad news. For the moment she would just keep the information to herself.

"Matsumoto is not dead!" he yelled. "Where is she?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou," she began, gripping his shoulders and causing him to look up. "I sincerely apologize for your loss but lying to yourself isn't going to do anything."

He blinked. He didn't understand why Unohana was lying. Why was she making such bold assertions, why was she tormenting him? This wasn't funny. The lie that everyone kept repeating was nothing but malicious and hurtful. It brought no humor.

Matsumoto was definitely alive. He knew it. Matsumoto would always be around, standing a few feet behind him, following him and supporting him like always.

-

* * *

-

Orihime had a lot of things on her mind, despite being so heavily accompanied by Special Ops agents.

Like everyone else, she had heard the heart wrenching news: Rangiku-san hadn't made it. As she heard the news, Inoue felt an inordinately amount of sadness. Only last week she had been up all night watching movies and eating popcorn covered in ketchup with Rangiku-san. Though she hadn't known Rangiku-san for long, she had immediately created a bond with her. To Orihime, Rangiku was like the older sister she never had. Always willing to listen, to offer advice and support, to cheer her up whenever she was down.

If she were working on something, Rangiku would easily put it aside and urged her not to worry about it, she was more important than some silly paperwork.

But now she was gone and in its place she had left a void.

Inoue had sobbed, crying and realizing that it was her fault. If only she hadn't been lured into Hueco Mundo, maybe she could have been the one to save Rangiku-san- she had the ability after all. But instead of being there, instead of protecting her friends she was trapped in Hueco Mundo, completely useless.

"You're not going to get anywhere in life by thinking like that," Kuchiki-san explained. "Don't be blaming yourself."

She had ended up crying even louder.

"You still have your memories of Rangiku-san, so as long as you have that she'll never be gone."

Kuchiki-san was right. It might be difficult to accept the death of a beloved friend but blaming herself wasn't going to do anything. Rangiku-san wouldn't like that.

It was three days since she heard the news, and Inoue figured it would be best to pay her respects- but Rangiku had no family, her life before a shinigami was surrounded in mystery. She decided to see Toshiro-kun. From what she could tell both Rangiku-san and Toshiro-kun were rather close, beyond the relationship of a captain and vice-captain.

"You will be given two hours to visit Hitsugaya-taichou," the Special Ops agent said, a mask covering his face just as they entered the Tenth Division headquarters. "After wards you shall return to the Kuchiki estate."

"Okay."

After her arrival to Soul Society, she had been placed under house arrest. Granted, she probably would have been locked up, if Kuchiki-san's older brother, Byakuya-san, hadn't stepped in and pulled a couple of strings. Of course the aristocrat hadn't been too pleased- it was against the rules after all- but he wanted to get rid of the estrange relationship between himself and his sister.

The Special Ops agents had treated her kindly, allowing her to see Ishida-kun and Sato-kun, and they were starting to become more like bodyguards than guards.

Orihime took a breath before knocking on the door of the Tenth Division office, entering only when she hears a 'come in.' She tried to muster her best smile.

"Ah Toshiro-kun how are you?" she asked, poking his head into the messy office. The white-haired captain sat behind his desk, looking over books and documents. "Oh? I didn't think you would be working."

"Don't worry about it," Hitsugaya responded closing the book. "I was looking over some stuff on the... never mind." He suddenly noticed the presences of the Special Ops agents standing outside his door. His face became unusually serious.

"They're with me Toshiro-kun," she answered, perceiving the troubled look on his face. "I'm under house arrest in Kuchiki-san's house, so they have to follow me around. Sorry about that."

He had yet to be punished after bringing Harribel- a hollow- to Soul those Special Ops agents, Hitsugaya figured they were there for him. Nonetheless he was clear at the moment, so he bid Inoue to take a seat and called for tea.

She sat on the couch, while he took the armchair beside it. "I apologize for not having seen you since Hueco Mundo-"

"No don't be Toshiro-kun!" she quickly responded. "I should have come to see you sooner."

They talked for a bit about trivial things until finally Orihime couldn't take the idle chit-chat.

"Toshiro-kun," Inoue began awkwardly. She didn't know what reaction she could expect from him. "I heard what happened to Rangiku-san... and I wanted-"

"What are you talking about?" he asked taking a sip of his tea.

Inoue blinked, surprised by his reaction. "I-I... thought you knew."

"Know what?"

She paused. Did he honestly not know? She of all people didn't want to break the news to him, so she settled for looking about the office until she noticed a stack of folders on the second desk, Rangiku's desk.

"Toshiro-kun what are those folders doing on that desk?"

"That's Matsumoto's work," he answered as though it were the obvious thing in the world. Hitsugaya looked up at her, his brow raised. "Why are you acting so weird?"

Orihime said nothing.

Within the next couple of days, Orihime got permission to visit Hitsugaya. It was only for two hours a day and the Special Ops agents were always waiting diligently outside the doors, but she figured whatever time was good enough. Though Hitsugaya began to roll his eyes, mentioning that he was getting behind on his work with these constant interruptions, Orihime thought it was necessary.

They were walking through the training grounds of the Tenth Division, when Hitsugaya explained his current dilemma.

"The commander-general still won't let me see Harribel," he confessed, trying to recall her green eyes. It had been roughly a week since he had last seen her, and though he had been reassured that she was alright- and felt her soothing presence- he hadn't been allowed to see her. Maybe they were afraid that he would break her out or something, but Hitsugaya had been forbidden from going into the deeper parts of the Fourth Division, where Harribel was located.

"What's worse nobody tells me about Hinamori. I don't know where she is."

Hitsugaya sighed again before glancing over his back.

"Who are you looking for Toshiro-kun?" Orihime had quickly noticed this bizarre behavior. Every so often he would look behind his back as though expecting someone to be there. "Are... are you looking for Rangiku-san?"

"C'mon it's starting to get cold."

Hitsugaya continued like this, choosing ignorance rather than facing reality. The folders and paperwork on Rangiku's desk would be steadily growing and he would continuously glance over his back. Other times he would pass by Rangiku's favorite bars or her favorite shops. It was as though he believed that Rangiku was away on some mission and that she would be returning, any day now, to her duties as vice-captain.

And whenever Rangiku's name was brought up or the possibility that Rangiku was forever gone, Hitsugaya immediately changed the subject or else left the room.

Hitsugaya was in denial.

Orihime had experienced the same thing, after her brother had passed away. She remembered that for days she would set a table for two and cook dinner for two and wait patiently by the window, expecting her brother to return from work. Hitsugaya was probably experiencing the same thing.

The death of Rangiku was too painful, too traumatic, for him to bear; so he convinced himself that everything was normal. He convinced himself that nothing had changed; everything was the same as before. Matsumoto was alive, if only gone temporarily, and she would return just as she always does. He didn't understand why people offered their condolences, why some entered with teary eyes or sad smiles.

He would question why everyone was acting so weird before continuing on with his work.

Denial was making him cope through the pain.

It was better, easier to live in another reality- to lie to oneself- instead of accepting the truth.

"Excuse me Hitsugaya-taichou," a shinigami interrupts, clutching a large yellow envelope. Hitsugaya peers over the blank yellow envelope before opening it.

Of course one cannot live in ignorance forever.

There has to be a breaking point.

-

* * *

-

Harribel opens her eyes to a white ceiling. Her mind is distorted and dizzy from the extensive blood loss, making her surroundings nothing but a distinct blur. Back and forth she struggles to maintain consciousness, but trying to stay focus is hard. Her head aches and it is so difficult to think and concentrate.

_"Where... am... I?"_

Something's wrong. This isn't the typically feeling of fatigue; rather it feels as though her senses are dull. It feels as though something is depriving her mind, making it slow and sluggish, and in turn reducing the normal function of her body.

_"I've been sedated." _

That's the only explanation for her weaken mind. Someone had drugged her, so she wouldn't be able to think or move as quickly, so she could be easily under control.

She tries to think back, tries to imagine what had happened before she was put into this state. But repeatedly her mind returns blank, as blank as this white ceiling. But there is something important she has to remember.

Harribel closes her eyes, her long yellow eyelashes gleaming in the moonlight.

Briefly she thinks about her fraccion, but their faces only brought her pain- not the usual beam of happiness and protectiveness as before. She thinks of Aizen, though her mind didn't stay to long on that bastard. What was it then? What had she forgotten?

Harribel glances to her side, meditating on the question when suddenly the answer jumps at her. The yellow kimono she is wearing had been torn and bloody after her fight with Aizen. It is rip diagonally so that the left sleeve is missing, exposing her bare shoulder. And in her bare shoulder she sees something- dirty and bloodstain- wrapped around her collarbone.

_"Toshiro!"_

It was his white haori that he had easily ripped in an attempt to save her. He had saved her- though he continuously denied it- and because of it she was in his debt. She had gone specifically to Hueco Mundo to help him save his vice-captain and repay her debt, but somehow she had ended up even more in his debt.

_"Just be quiet, okay? I'm gonna get you out of here." _

He had saved her again, arguing with his colleagues, and insisting that she was more important than any mission. Harribel felt a slight warmth and confusion in his actions.

But where was he now?

She tries to sit up but just like the drugs on her mind, her body is immobilized. Whoever has sedated her had made sure to strap her down on the bed. Thick leather bands are tied meticulously on both her wrists and ankles, while two other bands hold down her waist and chest, kept her from moving at all.

_"Where the hell am I? Where's Toshiro?" _

And then as though her question had been muttered out loud, she drastically feels a disturbance in his spiritual energy.

Harribel had an acute sense of spiritual energy and could recognize familiar spiritual energy, despite the distance. Though they had known each other for a short period of time, by now she could easily recognize Toshiro's spiritual energy, but just now she felt a sudden flare of his spiritual energy.

Extreme emotions were one of the many reasons why spiritual energy became interrupted, and from what Harribel could tell Toshiro was deeply upset.

No it wasn't only that. Something was causing him great pain, crippling pain.

For some reason the thought that he was in pain, troubles her. For some reason she feels a rejuvenating amount of energy, fueling her soggy mind and removing her from her drugged state. Suddenly she had to see him.

Harribel attempts to yank her arms, kick her legs, shift her weight up and down on the bed; but the brute force can't break the bonds. She could only struggle again and again, trying desperately to free herself.

"Let me out!" she yells, thrashing about wildly. "Let me out!"

Immediately the door bursts open and two people rush in, both wearing white lab coats. "Get a stronger dose!" At once the other doctor leaves the room.

"Where's Toshiro?" she continues struggling against the bonds.

"That doesn't concern you Espada," the doctor answer coldly as a cart of medical equipment was rolled into the room. The doctor held a small liquid vial above her head when suddenly it shattered into pieces; other vials also blow up as the liquid within the glass spins frantically. The doctors yelp out in pain, running out of the room in search of assistance.

"Let me out!"

Without Tiburon she couldn't use water as a weapon or shield. The thought of Toshiro's tribulation worries her, and so she cannot stop. She has to find a way out.

"Please calm down Harribel-san."

Her green eyes darted to the doorway to see the girl, Inoue Orihime, whom they had rescued in Hueco Mundo. The girl quickly approaches her, untying the bonds with trembling hands.

"Toshiro-kun's disappeared Soul Society," she said exasperated, fear in her face. "I-I... think he's looking for Ichimaru Gin."

-


	10. Chapter 10

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Harribel could never forget the fox-like face of Ichimaru Gin.

A smile and two squinting eyes were permanently carved to his pale face. But instead of conveying friendliness, this happy façade tended to instill uneasiness. Wonderweiss was down right scared of him, rolling himself into a tiny ball and trembling in fright. It certainly didn't help that Ichimaru would act oblivious and speak to Wonderweiss in a casual manner. In general most of the Arrancar didn't like Ichimaru and treated him with suspicion.

Still she couldn't imagine why Toshiro would go search for Ichimaru. It made no sense.

"Something terrible happened," Inoue explained while they were dashing outside the courtyards of the Fourth Division. It hadn't been difficult to bypass the Fourth Division shinigami as Harribel's strength returned, however the commotion was sure to bring reinforcements. "Rangiku-san didn't make it," Inoue said softly. "Rangiku-san is Toshiro-kun's vice-captain and they were always close. He kept denying it after he heard the news, but... something must have happened and he just disappeared!"

They stepped into an alleyway, the shadows of the night momentarily hiding them.

Inoue was panting, sweat gathering on her forehead, though not from exhaustion, but from fear. She bit her bottom lip, remembering what Byakuya-san had informed her. "Soul Society was sealed so no one could get in but someone from the Kidou Corps reported that a portal opened. Captains are the only ones that can break a spell that powerful, and since Toshiro-kun was missing, it's presumed to be him. I think he wants to avenge Rangiku-san."

Harribel had never met Matsumoto, but she knew that Toshiro cared about her. She was probably one of the important people that he alluded to and though he had strive to save her, he had failed. The realization of this failure must have been heartbreaking, Harribel realized. Empathy filled her then as she realized the extraordinary amount of pain and sadness he was going through.

"You believe he went to find Ichimaru?"

"Where else would he go? Kira-san mentioned that Ichimaru Gin was the last person he saw before he found Rangiku-san."

Harribel was quiet as she stared at the wall opposite her. It was just like before when she felt the abrupt disappearance of her fraccion's spiritual energy and realized that they were gone. Anger and grief blended together and she had momentarily been driven towards revenge to help ease her pain. Toshiro must be experiencing that as well.

"I know I probably shouldn't ask this of you, Harribel-san, but you're the only one that can help Toshiro-kun! I realize that you are an Arrancar and an ex-Espada but I know that not all Arrancars are bad- Ulquiorra-san showed me that- and Toshiro-kun told us that you can be trusted."

Her words startled Harribel. She had never spoken a word to Inoue, even when Aizen had introduced her to the Espada. Harribel had admired her powers- the ability to turn back time- besides that she had no contact with her.

But here she was placing all her fate on a stranger, wagering on a hollow.

"Please you have to help Toshiro-kun. Rangiku-san is already gone and Kurosaki-kun has completely lost his senses. I don't want to lose someone else," she said her voice cracking.

"How have the other captains reacted?" Although it made reasonable sense to conclude that Toshiro had left Soul Society, it made no sense that the Gotei-13 had simply ignored this. Unless. _"They couldn't." _

Two tears rolled from the corner of Inoue's eyes, down her cheeks. "Several captains were sent to Hueco Mundo to search for him," she said remembering how Byakuya-san had left along with Kenpachi-san "T-They were ordered to bring him back or silence him."

Shock paralyzed Harribel. She didn't think that the Gotei-13 could be so ruthless, but apparently they could. Instead of risking the lost of previous information, the Gotei-13 was forcibly bringing Toshiro back, or else permanently silencing him. She quickly learned why Inoue had come to her. She didn't fear that Toshiro would be killed in battle with Ichimaru but that the Gotei-13 would get to him.

_"How could they?" _she held her shaking fist, trying to fight back the anger. She needed to be reasonable and logical in order to find Toshiro, she couldn't scum to her emotions otherwise all would be lost. Harribel took a breath, forcing herself to think, reviewing the information she had been given so far.

_"Did he got to Hueco Mundo to find Ichimaru?" _

It didn't make sense though. Toshiro had specifically stated that the environment in Hueco Mundo constricted his powers. Would he be that foolish- going to Hueco Mundo in such a disadvantage? Granted, Harribel had felt the ache and indescribable pain of Toshiro's spiritual energy; and she knew that at the moment Toshiro was acting on emotions. Again she reviewed the information, discovering something.

"You said he was acting in denial after his vice-captain's death?"

"Y-yes..."

Harribel started walking, her mind quickly thinking ahead. "I need to see the last place Toshiro was at."

Inoue stared at her in confusion. "I think it was his office. But Harribel-san...?"

"There's no time to explain take me to his office."

Toshiro's office was relatively simple with a polished desk in the middle and another desk to the side. She guessed that the desk in the middle was Toshiro's since the one at the side was overfilled with paperwork and what looked like bottles of sake. Approaching the middle desk, she looked through the stacks of paper, seeing nothing of interest. "Look at the second stack," she told Inoue. But Harribel already knew that they wouldn't find anything.

The desk was relatively clear, as though Toshiro had finished putting away his belonging and getting ready to go. The door was unlock- which was odd, since he had taken the time to fix his belongings and something told her Toshiro always locked up- so it definitely meant that Toshiro had left in a hurry.

"You said that Ichimaru was seen before his vice-captain was found dead.... Did anybody tell Toshiro about this tonight?"

"No, I don't think so. I was with him most of the day, and whenever anyone mentioned Rangiku-san he changed the subject." Inoue continued to ask several questions but Harribel wasn't listening. It was strange that Toshiro began to seek revenge after two weeks. He must have found out that shred of news just now, otherwise he wouldn't have acted in denial but in rage.

But what was it? How did Toshiro find out about Ichimaru? From what Inoue describe he was kept in the dark around the death of his vice-captain, and had probably assumed that she had died because of lack of medical attention. Since Toshiro was trying to save his vice-captain he felt as though he had failed and felt responsible, consequently he acted in denial.

It just didn't make sense that he would randomly act on revenge when he didn't know that his vice-captain was murdered. He must have gotten some some strong evidence and Harribel needed to see it to confirm whether Toshiro did indeed go to Hueco Mundo.

Her line of vision caught a sight of yellow and she bent down noticing a large yellow envelope dropped by the second desk. Harribel probably wouldn't have paid it a second thought, since this desk was clustered in paperwork but sheets of paper were scattered throughout the floor.

She picked up the paper, realizing that it was a formal report. The date said that it was from today.

"What is it?" Inoue asked realizing that she had gone unusually quiet.

"It's an MIA report."

_"It's the same for me too," he finally answered after the lengthened pause. "I want to protect those people important to me."_

Everything was clear now.

"Inoue, who is Hinamori Momo?"

-

* * *

-

Gravel crunched underneath his footsteps as he walked into the desolated battlefield. It resembled nothing of what he remembered, rather it was empty and forsaken, like ancient ruins. Hitsugaya walked into the Fake Karakura Town- a lone soul in the middle of nowhere- seeing nothing and hearing nothing. Oddly enough he was reminded of Hueco Mundo, with the illuminating full moon and the toppled over buildings.

Hitsugaya darted his head to the left, hand already on Hyorinmaru as he thought he heard something.

In all honestly, he hadn't imagine the Fake Karakura Town to be so unrecognizable. It was going to be difficult to investigate the whereabouts of Hinamori. Since Hitsugaya was acting as the commanding officer for the Fifth Division, he received the blunt of the paperwork. Merely two hours ago he had gotten an alarming report.

Hinamori was missing.

Of course, Hitsugaya knew that he could be facing court martial for acting without orders but at the moment he didn't care.

The further he walked into the empty field, white fog continued to thicken. Contour lines of the tumbled buildings provided some vision but besides that he could barely see anything. Still Hitsugaya continued the will to find Hinamori fueling him.

Again there was another noise, as though a rock had slipped down a slope. Hitsugaya darted to the noise, holding Hyorinmaru defensively. He wasn't expecting anyone to be here, but he couldn't help the uneasiness creeping over him.

The fog continued, creating a sort of mystery in the battlefield, as though there was a secret he was unaware of.

There it was again. A footstep, he was sure of it.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

By this point Hitsugaya figured that it would be best to leave and return when the sun had risen and chased away all this fog. He couldn't recognize and see anything.

There was a sound of rushing then, harsh rushing as though someone was approaching him at full speed. Instinctively, Hitsugaya threw a blast of ice towards the sound.

"Ah wait!"

That voice.

He was running then, running almost wildly until he saw the distinct silhouette of a short person. Hitsugaya stopped, short of breath. "H-Hinamori?"

Hinamori, his childhood friend looked at him, a smile on her face. "Hello Hitsugaya-kun!"

What was going on? Hinamori was here in the middle of nowhere, in perfect shape, not the critical condition that Kira had described. Her brown eyes glimmered with happiness- just like they used to when they were growing up in Roukongai. The panda eyes had disappeared, along with her skinny, fragile body. This was the old Hinamori- the happy and carefree Hinamori that he remembered.

"I know what you're thinking, but its alright, it's really me."

His mind reverted back to the report. "Hinamori... you disappeared."

After reading the report Hitsugaya had abruptly left. There was no investigation conducted, since Soul Society was completely sealed- no one could get in or out- and as a result no investigation was ordered. He knew that he had to go, then, go to the Fake Karakura Town to find some clues whether she was still there or was taking as a war prisoner. Hitsugaya had expected to possible find a few things, he never expected to see Hinamori in front of him.

She approached him, softly touching his hand. "I'm sorry I worried you Hitsugaya-kun, but everything's alright. During the battle Ichimaru-san brought me to Aizen-taichou..."

Suddenly the shock of seeing Hinamori in front of him shattered and he bit back an angry shout at the name of that bastard. "Aizen? You've been with Aizen?"

Perhaps Hinamori had realized his anger because she let go of his hand, turning her back to him. "Hitsugaya-kun, Aizen-taichou saved me-"

"Because he's trying to use you! Didn't he deceive you and hurt you? To him you're only a pawn, nothing else," he held his shaking fist looking at the ground.

"So you would rather that he left me to die?" the counter attack was so impressive that Hitsugaya found nothing to say. No he didn't want Hinamori, one of his friends, to be killed but at the same time he couldn't help but realize that this was all a trap in some way.

"Aizen-taichou explained everything to me," she turned around then a flicker in her eyes. "He's trying to create a better world Hitsugaya-kun, don't you understand? Aizen-taichou understands that people are suffering and miserable because of this current system. Soul Society is controlled by the power elite, while the average people are left with nothing. But Aizen-taichou is going to change that. He has to abolish this system and create a new one!"

"He's lying Hinamori. Don't be deceived by him again. He's only targeting you because of your feelings towards him."

Hinamori said nothing until she gasped out loud as though remembering something important. She approached him again, reaching for his hand and dragging him through the fog and ruins. "C'mon I almost forgot to show you someone."

Instantly he thought of Aizen. There would be a wicked smirk on his face when he saw him. He would make some stupid remark about seeing him so soon, while continuing some bogus story how he saved Hinamori with no motivation- Hinamori eating every word. Hitsugaya knew there would be another battle between him and Aizen and he could only hope that Hinamori won't get in the way.

Hitsugaya had expected all this. He had expected arguments and shouting, drawing out of swords and the shed of blood. He was already making accounts of what he should say to Hinamori to make her see reason. However, he wasn't expecting his breath to stop short and his legs weakening.

It was as though the world had suddenly come crashing down; and because the world had collapsed, he could no longer think or act.

"M-Matsumoto?"

She turned around, a warm smile on her face, the light in her eyes shining. At once she raced the short distance between them picking up her captain in a bone crushing hug. "Taaaichou!" she screeched swinging him about and ignoring his protest to put him down.

"Sorry taichou," she answered. "But I really missed you. What took you so long anyways? I was getting tired of waiting-"

Her words stopped as she realized that his hold around her neck had tightened and he was hiding his face behind her shoulder.

It was really her. Matsumoto was here and everything was alright.

He just had to wait that's all. He just had to be patient for once. Matsumoto had simply gone missing and though her absence was great in these last two weeks, Hitsugaya knew- just knew- that she would be back, he only needed patience. In Soul Society everyone had sobbed and offered toast to Matsumoto's name, lying that she was gone but he knew that it was all an act, some ploy. Matsumoto couldn't be dead, she just couldn't.

He let go of her after what seemed an eternity, and hastily wiped his eyes.

Again Matsumoto smiled, crouching down to be exactly at his eye level. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

"You should be sorry about that paperwork you left behind," he answered back. His body was still shaking and he found he couldn't put on his mask of indifference.

"Ichimaru-san brought Rangiku-san to Aizen-taichou," Hinamori said standing a short distance from him. Hitsugaya turned to look, an incredulous look on his face. "He told Aizen-taichou to please save Rangiku-san. Aizen-taichou did so."

"Is this true?" he questioned her. Like Hinamori, Matsumoto had no visible wounds on her and was clearly in no danger. She looked like the cheery, optimistic person that she had always been.

"It's true taichou," Matsumoto said her voice serious. "I don't know why but Gin took both Hinamori and me to Aizen. There was an Arrancar with tremendous healing abilities that was able to treat us. We spent nine days there until Aizen finally let us go."

"What?"

Hitsugaya found it beyond amazing that Aizen would act in any benevolence. Aizen was ruthless, not caring who he had to hurt and destroy, so long as he got his way. There must be some plot. That was the only explanation.

"I don't understand anything either taichou," Matsumoto said looking just as confused. "But he told us some stuff about what he was doing before he let us go. The only place we could think of going was the Fake Karakura, in case someone returned for a survey or investigation."

"Why didn't you attempt to return to Soul Society?"

He knew that the Kidou Corps had sealed an entry or exit to Soul Society, but he thought it was strange that neither Matsumoto or Hinamori- who had excellent kidou abilities- wouldn't attempt to open a portal by themselves.

"Oh taichou what's with all the questions?" she said with a laugh ruffling his hair. "What matters is that you found us. See I knew that you would be back. Isn't that what I said Hinamori?"

"Yes Rangiku-san was quite certain that it would be you that returned. We just had to wait."

A smile tugged on the corner of his face. "Anyway we have to get out here."

Hinamori and Matsumoto both agreed. Matsumoto mentioning out loud that she could go for a good bath and a hot cup of sake. Hinamori worried how behind her division and how long it would take for things to go back to normal.

And everything was perfect just as it should be.

The fog lessened as they walked to the clearance and Hinamori's and Matsumoto's voices began to lessen until finally they became silent. Hitsugaya whirled around then, seeing nothing but empty terrain. Both Hinamori and Matsumoto were gone.

"Hinamori, Matsumoto, where are you?" he yelled out but only silence greeted his shout.

Immediately, trepidation washed over him. Where had they gone? They were here only a few minutes ago but they had suddenly disappeared without any sound.

"Don't worry Hitsugaya-kun, they're safe."

The fog parted and he realized with an uncontrollable anger who it was. It was Aizen along with his two subordinates, walking easily in the deserted battlefield. He held his shaking fist, tasting bile on his tongue.

"Why are you treating me so angry? Didn't you hear what Hinamori-kun said? I saved both her and you're vice-captain. You should be thanking me."

His hand was already on the hilt of Hyorinmaru, ready to strike him down. Hitsugaya knew that that Aizen would never save Hinamori and Matsumoto out of benevolence, he was planing something. "Where are they?"

Aizen chuckled. "I'll tell you their location if you tell me the location of the Real Karakura Town."

That bastard. He was planning on using them as hostages- their state versus the state of Soul Society. And it wasn't fair- Hitsugaya had to think- it wasn't fair that he had to choose one when the other was more valuable. It wasn't fair that he had to pick the lesser of the items when Hinamori's and Matsumoto's lives were far, far more valuable.

Perhaps Aizen had sense his hesitation because he approached him then, placing his hand underneath his chin. He smirk, seeing the fear in his eyes. Immediately Hitsugaya swatted his hand away, looking appalled.

"Would you rather live with the guilt of knowing that you could have saved them?" He turned around then, pulling out his sword.

Hitsugaya said nothing.

Aizen tried another approach. "Hitsugaya-kun, let us put away these disagreements between us. Both Hinamori-kun and Matsumoto heard my plans for the future and they agree in them. You will too. If you only listen."

"No. It's nothing but a sick plan to make yourself a tyrannical god. You have already deceived and used us, almost murdering Hinamori in cold blood. You betrayed Harribel," he said. "Nothing you say could make up for all the crap you've done."

He was silent then and Hitsugaya noticed the fog was quickly returning until out of no where a wave of strong water washed through. The sudden lush of water surprised Aizen but he recovered, disappearing out of sight. Hitsuagay reached the top of a collapsed building and turned around when he felt a familiar presence.

"Harribel." How long had it been since he last saw her? It seemed way too long.

She looked at him, her eyes blazing in anger. "Are you alright Toshiro?"

"Yes I'm fine. But Aizen took Hinamori and Matsumoto-"

"Toshiro," she said slowly. "I don't think anyone was here."

Hitsugaya continued to look through the area, seeing nothing but the broken down buildings. "They were here," he argued. "Hinamori and Matsumoto were right here."

She sighed and suddenly her green eyes seemed very distant then, sad and filled with pain. It was the look on her eyes that made Hitsugaya realize that something was wrong.

"This fog distorts the mind. You were probably placed in a hypnotic spell by Aizen."

-


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Sorry for the extreme long delay but this chapter really was bugging me- but here's a really long chapter to help make up for it. Thanks for your patience!

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An eerie aura seemed to emit from the ghost town, and a fog—an almost innocent fog that distorted the senses until eventually it blended fantasy with reality—seemed to linger. It seemed that time had broken- why else would these few seconds seem like two decades?- until finally Hitsugaya turned to look at her. The night wind ruffled his white locks, while the round moon illuminated his stiff silhouette.

"What are you talking about?" he asked adamantly. "They were just here."

But there was nothing here—nothing but toppled down buildings, broken glass and concrete. This area had once been the duplicate version of Karakura Town, but now it lay in ruins—a testament to the awesome power that had trample it weeks ago.

"Toshiro," Harribel answered. She paused for a moment before realizing that none of this was fair. It wasn't fair that he was plagued with so much disappointment and sorrow, when she knew that he was a good person. Already he saved her twice, and yet she has reciprocated none of his kindness and brought only bad fortune.

"I have seen Aizen use this technique many times. He has the ability to control the five senses, distort the mind, and confuse reality. The people you saw—"

"I know what I saw," he argued. Mere moments ago he has seen them—Hinamori and Matsumoto, alive and well—so he just couldn't accept that the two people he wanted to see most in the world were nothing more than an illusion, a fabrication of his mind.

Harribel was quiet. She had witnessed Aizen's punishments before and seen how he created images, so horrific and cruel that many would dissolve in a heap on the floor, sobbing. _"Please forgive me Aizen-sama! Forgive my insubordination!" _Since she was blinded by his false promises, Harribel had reasoned that it had to be done.

What a fool she had been! Had she truly been that blind? Had she merely turned the other way as she heard the cries of Arrancars and her fellow Espada, and reasoned that it was all inevitable— coldly reasoning that some sacrifices were necessary?

"You know those people cannot be real," she finally responded. Briefly, she considered whether she was being cruel. "You know that it makes no sense. The person you saw was your vice-captain and she has been dead—"

"What the hell do you know?" he snapped in outrage.

"Inoue told me that—"

"Well she's _wrong_!" He said the last word so loud that it seemed to remain in the air, where anyone could easily snatch it. "Matsumoto is not dead, okay? She is not dead."

Harribel did not know who Matsumoto was. She vaguely remembered a woman with long strawberry blonde hair and a jovial attitude. When she was injured by Allon—the mindless monster that Apache, Mila Rose, and Sun-sun summoned—Toshiro had reacted anxiously, daring to go to Hueco Mundo in search of a skilled healer. But in the end it had all been for nothing. _'Her death must be too painful for him to deal with.'_

Instead of dealing with the real world, with the pain of his vice-captain's death, he created an alternative world. But the real world was trying to break in and though he often denied it and claimed that his vice-captain was indeed alive, eventually the time would have to come for him to painfully accept the truth.

Gravel crunched off in the distance and immediately Hitsugaya picked up on the sound, his eyes glimmering with hope that it was Matsumoto. In a flash Hitsugaya disappeared, halting in what resembled an apartment complex—Inoue's tiny apartment, where he and Matsumoto had briefly stayed, causing havoc and cause to poor Inoue. He scanned his surroundings, but like before there was nothing. There was nothing but the lone white moon and toppled down buildings.

"Matsumoto!" he yelled, his ears straining to hear her voice.

Once again the sound of gravel filled the air and immediately Hitsugaya disappeared, having localized the location of the sound. He pictured Matsumoto—pictured her long hair, her pink scarf, her gray eyes, her glowing, bright face— and knew that she would be right there— right there!— waiting for him. She was not dead, but gone somewhere and with enough patience and perseverance Matsumoto would return again.

He stopped short in disappointment.

"Toshiro-kun! Thank goodness you're safe," Inoue cried out, hugging him. "Harribel-san said she—"

"Where's Matsumoto?" he asked in confusion.

Cracks were starting to form in that perfect alternate world he created, which meant that the real world was trying to break in, which meant that it was becoming more difficult to deal with Matsumoto's death. Harribel stopped behind him, feeling something like malaise settling in. Others may call him foolish for ignoring reality and trying to desperately believe in something that was not real, but she thought that it was sad, instead of foolish. Denial was a defense-mechanism to deal with something that was simply too painful and profound.

"Rangiku-san is not here, Toshiro-kun," Inoue responded after a brief pause.

"Of course she was here. I saw her."

Inoue glanced at Harribel, unsure how to respond. "Rangiku-san passed away…"

"No she didn't!" His face scrutinize in anger as he finally lost his patience. "Matsumoto is not dead. She was here!"

The younger girl became silent realizing that for once the strong, steady fast captain of the Tenth Division couldn't handle the truth.

His eyes continued to scan through the remains of the Fake Karakura Town, and he strained to see or hear any sign of life, any sign of Matsumoto.

"There is nothing here Toshiro-kun," Inoue repeated softly.

He was about to argue that she was wrong that Matsumoto was definitely here, but he paused. Harribel kneeled in front of him, her hand reaching out to touch his face. Gently, she touched his cheek and brought him to look at her—away from the scenes of blood, trauma, and death. He looked at her as if in a trance, pass the white hollow mask that covered most of her face to see her eyes—her sad green eyes. Since their first encounter he had been astonished by her eyes—by the ability to hold such meaning and power, by the ability to calmly observe the world, by the ability to express the most honest of truth.

"I'm sorry but there is nothing here, nothing but sad memories."

Hitsugaya had wanted to argue that she was wrong, but the argument never left his tongue. He merely continued to gaze upon her eyes, hoping to find some form of mistake, but he could only see her sadness, her rue, and her empathy. Harribel was not lying.

A crack formed on the alternative world he created, small at first, but gradually it increased, moving along the familiar designs of a spider web until finally a portion of it chipped away and a dim light shone through. The alternative world was finally chipping away, eventually crumbing away to finally reveal the real world.

He collapses to the ground then, as though he had glimpsed into something atrocious, something that he shouldn't have looked at. The smile from Hinamori and the warm embrace from Matsumoto were nothing more than an illusion. Of course, it was an illusion. Matsumoto was…

"She's... really..." he whispered. The words dissolve in his mouth and he cannot say anything else, as a strange new pain engulfed him. It moved sluggishly but with such harsh force that it leaves him breathless. It is the dagger—the sharp, hot dagger that intricately carves his chest.

He touches his face and he feels something wet on his face, trailing down to his chin. He's crying. The tears—he can't stop them from spilling.

"I know it's difficult to accept," Harribel whispers and she wraps her arms around him, holding him close. Her strong hierro skin is cool and hard, but for some reason he feels a warmth that circulates over him, a calm and gentle warmth that makes him wrap his arms around her, so he can hold on to more of it.

"Lying and deceiving yourself is not going to make the pain go away, there are some things that you cannot change."

"But is it not better to live in ignorance than deal with this crippling pain?"

She peered at him before breaking the touch between them and taking away the warmth. "Lies may be easier to deal with in the short time but that is it. Eventually you will be caught up in your lies and the pain—the pain that you have been so desperately trying to escape from—will be just as strong. It may be difficult now, but one day you will come to terms with it. One day this pain will lessen."

He wanted to ask how she knew this, but he did not. Something told him to trust her, to trust her judgment.

They were silent for a moment before Harribel stood, glancing off into the distance. From all the Espada, Harribel had the most accurate sense of spiritual energy. She could detect the presence of someone before they even knew she was present, and right now she was detecting the presences of three powerful beings.

She looked at Inoue, whom had been silent this entire time. "It's too dangerous here. Make sure he reaches safety."

Inoue looked at her in bewilderment, unaware of what she was referring to before she spotted the distinct presence of someone. "Yes. I'll make sure he's safe," she nodded, realizing that for once she wasn't being treated as a burden or nuisance, rather someone who was dependable. It was her job to protect Toshiro-kun.

"Do not let him use your memories of those precious people, Toshiro," Harribel answered once more. He glanced up at her briefly, confused and dishearten, before she disappeared in a wave of sonido.

"Toshiro-kun, let's go," Inoue interjected, grabbing his hand and forcing him to stand. Hitsugaya blinked, his mind and body somehow seemed separately—they seemed to work separately rather than simultaneously. He was in a daze, still reviewing what Harribel meant. One day the pain will lessen, how can that be when it feels as though the very world is about to cave in?

"It gets better," Inoue responded, noticing his dismay. Hitsugaya looked at her, almost lifeless unable to understand what she was saying. "Harribel-san is right. One day the pain will lessen."

The dagger on his chest, begged otherwise. It continued to cut through his flesh and bones, more powerful than any ordinary blade. How could it stop?

Inoue's features soften and she was about to reply with something else, but she paused surprised that such a person could move so quickly. Harribel had left to deal with him, to give them enough time so they could leave, but it seemed that he had completely bypassed her.

"What's wrong?" Hitsugaya asked noticing her apprehension. But then he froze, instantly recognizing the cause of her distress. It was him—the man that thought of no one but himself, that brought pain and betrayal, that lied and cheated without remorse.

Where he had once been filled with the saddening acknowledgement of Matsumoto's death, he soon became filled with a growing anger. He had used the faces of Matsumoto and Hinamori for his sick, twisted needs. He was going to use him, like he had done with so many before, and Hitsugaya was more than ready to give every shred of information, simply so he could see that hallucination. He felt like such an idiot.

"No Toshiro-kun. We have to get away from here," Inoue replied noticing the drastic change in his spiritual energy. The sadness had been replaced by red anger.

"I'm not going anywhere," Hitsugaya responded. His spiritual energy began to grow out of proportion.

"You cannot fight in your current—"

Clouds gathered across the night sky, occasionally covering the round moon and creating bouts of darkness. The brief periods of darkness on the deserted battlefield created an eerie aura. The wind picked up, soft at first until it became rowdy.

"Ah there you are Hitsugaya-kun, I've been looking for you," said Aizen good-naturally. Ichimaru Gin accompanied him—the usual grin replaced with a solemn look on his face. Tousen Kaname was missing.

The anger was turning into wrath and he could no longer contain himself. In a swipe he yanked out Hyorinmaru, plunging the tip of his sword to Aizen's neck. Ichimaru Gin prevented the blow, their swords in a stalemate before Ichimaru shifted his position, and the two parted. "You fuckin' bastard!" Hitsugaya spat, his body trembling with so much anger.

"Why are you so angry? I merely showed you an image of what you so desperately wanted to see," he moved his sword and a brief silhouette appeared, one that vaguely resembled Matsumoto.

"Please don't listen to him Toshiro-kun," Inoue cried out. "He's just trying to provoke you." But he did not listen to Inoue. Impatience and anger was blinding him and he launched out at Aizen, ready to strike his neck—ready to spill his blood—when Ichimaru prevented the blow once again. Hitsugaya let out a frustrated yell, trying to pass him but Ichimaru repeatedly stopped his tracks. With one mutter he extended Shinsou, about to pierce his stomach.

An almost glass surface met his blade, and the shield that Inoue created shattered into pieces. "Toshiro-kun, please, don't do this."

Blood was pounding in his head and he could not see anything but an ever growing red and the disgusting smirk on Aizen's face. His spiritual energy continued to grow wild, shifting the clouds and dropping the temperature. "I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled- no longer able to reason. There was such an intense passion growing within him that he could not simply control. His spiritual energy increased out of proportionate, creating a heavy aura over the field. Above, more clouds began to gather, while the wind continued to howl angrily blowing aside dirt and small objects

Aizen chuckled as though something humorous was occurring. "Again with your weak promises, Hitsugaya-kun? But I wonder if you really understand what is going on? Especially when it deals with that her death."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah... I see you don't know," he said with a sort of dawning. "How funny—there are some people who continue to protect you as though you were nothing more than a child."

"Don't listen to him!" Inoue yelled out. "Don't listen to anything he said. Remember what Harribel-san said, 'Do not let him use your memories…'"

"Surely you must understand that she'll leave. How could you possible think that a hollow would be allowed in Soul Society? Even she seems to understand—maybe that's why she left now."

Aizen smiled as he noticed the conflict steadily growing on his face. "Would you like to tell Hitsugaya-kun what you have been keeping from him, Inoue?" he asked looking at her. Inoue's face pale and she briefly lowered her head, unable to meet Hitsugaya's eyes.

"What are you talking about? Inoue what's going on?"

There was another layer to this truth—a layer that everyone seemed to know, but that no one spoke of.

"I guess she doesn't want to. That foolish girl she can never do anything for her friends even now when the task is so simple," Aizen continued. Inoue looked up, something like hurt on her face.

"Hitsugaya-kun I'll ask you this question: do you think your vice-captain died when there was no healer present? Do you think Hinamori-kun randomly disappeared? No you are mistaken, terribly mistaken."

"No," Inoue cried out. "He's trying to confuse you."

"I'm only trying to tell you the truth- the truth that everyone is hiding from you. Nobody told you that there was one person responsible for all this—one man that has completely destroyed your life. It was no one else but Ichimaru Gin."

It took him a moment to realize that Matsumoto's murderer and Hinamori's kidnapper was standing in front of him.

Hitsugaya looked at the tall figure of Ichimaru Gin. "You...?"

He doesn't believe it—no, it doesn't make sense—but he looks at Inoue and sees that she is quiet. She does not try to deny that Matsumoto was murdered, instead of an accidental death as he believed. "It can't be true," he answers, hoping that maybe she would agree with him but for several seconds no one says anything—its deadly quiet in the Fake Karakura Town and the ghost of the victims seem to almost come to life.

The clouds overhead thicken, continuing to cover the night sky, carefully binding away the moonlight and creating a sheer darkness.

"Why?" he questions to Ichimaru. He has quickly forgotten about Aizen, all he can think about is this sudden new piece of information. "_Why Ichimaru?" _

Ichimaru said nothing—no clever remarks, no denial, no lies—it was as though Matsumoto's death meant nothing to him. Hitsugaya searched his face, looking for some sign of remorse—anything but his blank, emotionless face.

"Why Ichimaru?" he yelled his voice harsh, the environment spinning out of control. "Why did you do it? Wasn't she your…?"

He paused, pacing impatiently throughout the floor, clutching his fist so tightly that his fingernails bit through his palms. "Why? Why?"

Ichimaru disappeared in a blur, stopping behind him and springing his sword directly at his side. It was so sudden that he could not prevent the attack—all he knew was the tremendous amount of ache that appeared. Blood splattered onto the floor—too much blood—that he could not stand.

"Because I was ordered to," came the voice of Ichimaru. Hitsugaya glanced up at his tall, somber face realizing that the usual grin on Ichimaru's face was gone—gone since the day he killed Matsumoto.

His vision was spinning wildly, soon darkness began to creep in—whether from the lack of moonlight or his wounds, he did not know. All he knew was that everything was so distorted, so confusing.

Hitsugaya gasped for air, feeling blood in his mouth. Briefly, he registered the screams of Inoue as she tries to approach him, but Aizen was in the way. Soon her voice seemed somewhat distant. Images flashed across his mind—images of Matsumoto, of Ichimaru, of Aizen, of Harribel—gradually at first but steadily increasing. The images were moving too fast, much too fast that he had difficulty recognizing them, but it seemed that his sub consciousness responded and slowly the images stopped—stopping on one person.

_'Matsumoto-san died.... Hinamori Momo has been currently declared as missing in action…. There is nobody here… Nobody told you that there was one person responsible for all this—one man that has completely destroyed your life…. Because I was ordered to…. One day the pain will lessen…' _

_"I'm not going to make excuses, for him," she had said. "But he did save me and for that I can never think of him as a bad person." _

He bit back a cry realizing that she had been betrayed by this son-of-a-bitch. Whereas others had slandered his name for joining Aizen's cause, Matsumoto had never said anything against him… because she believed there was still some humanity left in him. And he had somewhat agreed with her. After all if Ichimaru has selfishly saved Matsumoto from hunger then there must be some good, some humanity, left in him.

Maybe he was just misguided.

_'Because I was ordered to…' _

He was wrong—completely, totally wrong. There was nothing left in him. Matsumoto's life meant nothing to him.

And then everything, everything became clear—as clear as though he were looking into a glass of water. He was responsible for all this. That's right he was responsible for everything.

Anger, resentment, and bitterness swelled into a dark blinding emotion, something that he had never experienced before—a burning hatred, a burning, venomous hatred. Hatred with such magnitude that he felt physically sick, as though some poison or some humor was coursing through his body. It was a hatred so deep that everything seemed so insignificant and worthless.

That's right, Ichimaru Gin was the one responsible for all this.

The hatred intensified. For the first time he wanted to hurt someone—another human being. He wanted to see him scream and beg for mercy; he wanted to beat and break all his bones; he wanted to strangle and watch the life drain from his face; he wanted to mutilate him and cut him into little pieces, tiny little pieces. He wanted to break him, fucking destroyed him.

_'One day the pain will lessen…' _

And it was clear, so crystal clear that he forced himself to lift the upcoming darkness. No, no he could not die. Not now when he finally found a new purpose in his life.

The defensive mechanism, the reality that he created, crumbled. It shattered into pieces, like glass each one of the sharp pieces cutting his face and drawing blood. The sharp pieces continued to cut into his face, creating an agonizing pain. No matter how hard or how long he screamed- it could never compare to the excruciating pain he was feeling.

Now he saw— after all those weeks in denial— the ugly, grisly truth.

-

* * *

-

White, endless white covered everything--a white so uniformly the same that it was difficult to tell the sky and earth apart. Dry winds blew from the north, scattering snow—more white into the already bleak world. This was a desert, not the typical hot and dry desert, but a much brutal one: a frozen tundra. Vegetations, animals, humans, none of them could live in this land of ice and snow.

He stood there—a lonely being in the middle of nowhere—unable to feel the numbing cold, unable to realize that his face and hands and any of his exposed skin were hardening and becoming wax like, frostbite was trying to steal the live, healthy tissue. He stood there the strong and violent emotions, briefly making him forget this extreme cold.

There was an earsplitting crack that reverted over and over across the empty landscape, as a portion of an iceberg cracked and cascaded on the permanently frozen land.

"Hyorinmaru," he called out his voice somehow louder than the fallen iceberg.

The ground began to shake, increasing with such magnitude that it seemed like a high level earthquake. Ice crunch and cracked with such brutal force that it almost seemed like human bones, winds gathered, howling like an angry animal. And then he saw it. Underneath his feet, underneath the ice, there was something lurking: a shadow. A long shadow danced below— its tail lingering for a moment, its enormous wings flapping out, and its extensive neck twisting about. A light glowed underneath the ice, a bright green light that made it seem as though a green sun was underneath these rock, hard icy lands. But then the ice diminished, settling into one point until it blasted from a single spot.

The sound was so shattering, so powerful and painful; that his head began to ache in pain, as the tiny bones in his ear canal could not withstand such awesome pressure.

Hitsugaya looked up as the gigantic creature emerged, water dripping from its snout, its cold green eyes looking directly at him.

"Why have you come?" the ice dragon said its voice echoing loudly for miles to come.

In the past Hitsugaya had been deadly afraid of Hyorinmaru. According to legend, Hyorinmaru was a merciless ice dragon that brought about blizzards and avalanches. It was a spiteful, hostile creature with no sympathy or magnanimity, preferring solitude in the most secluded and coldest mountains of Soul Society. Hitsugaya had often feared that the terrible dragon would emerge, wild and out of control. He had attempted to control Hyorinmaru's power in the past, if only to protect the people around him, but his attempts had been futile so far.

The pitiful bankai that he produced barely touched a fraction of Hyorinmaru's true power.

The ice felt slippery as he approached the enormous creature, unafraid.

"Why have you come, child?" Hyorinmaru repeated, its eyes beaming with impatience.

He didn't even pause to reconsider.

"I want power."

The spirit said nothing, his impatience quickly subsiding and replacing instead with a slight interest. In the past decades Hyorinmaru had come to know and understand his young welder, but hearing this sudden declaration, the dragon realized that something was wrong. Despite being the most powerful ice-type, Hitsugaya had never been tempted by Hyorinmaru's power, preferring to use his own logic and skills. "You cannot control my..."

"Just give it to me," he argued.

"Your body has not completely developed, the quantity of my power will..."

"Just give it to me!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the frozen terrain. There was almost a wild look in his eyes—a darker, sinister motive briefly appeared on the surface. "I want power."

"At the cost of your _life_?" the last word lingered in the air.

Hitsugaya raised his head to look directly at the dragon. He would mold and shape this hatred to achieve his goals, and whatever may come with it, so be it. "The cost does not matter."

A thin smile spread over the features of Hyorinmaru. The ice dragon was one of the oldest spirits in Soul Society, but despite the many centuries, Hyorinmaru had come to conclude that humans were always constant. If not now then soon, but humans always craved power. His other welders in the past had foolishly craved and begged for his power, and had died each and every time. For a moment Hyorinmaru had believed that his new welder would be the exception and that one day he would finally succeed in taming his wild spirit.

What a mistake it had been to believe so.

"Very well, have my powers."

Aurora lights appeared across the white sky, a sharp contrast to the bleak white. The ribbon-shaped lights twisted and danced on the enormous stage—this was his current level of power, this was what he had so far achieved—before the twisting became rapid. The lights became brighter, a hauntingly glowing green, and the ribbons grew longer, longer and longer until finally they completely covered the sky.

There was a brief period of awe as the sky became green and separated itself from the ground. It was a blinding green that shone with such magnanimity, reflecting green on the frozen icicles and banks of snow until there was no endless white, but green, an endless glowing green that seemed to linger, linger in the scene.

And then the fierce light gathered, gathered into a single beam and shone directly toward him. The white frozen tundra was suddenly split in two, and the beam of light was the source of this diversion.

Hitsugaya was trapped in a tube— a tube of Hyourinmaru's true, raw power— and he suddenly couldn't breathe. He suddenly couldn't see or hear, but feel the cold— a biting, numbing cold that seemed so paralyzing. He had no skin, no form of flesh or warmth, as the cold swept through him, brutally tarnishing his body. His young body screamed out in protest as what little warmth was sucked out, as the endless cold continued to pierce him as swiftly as sharp needles.

There was only so much that the body could handle, and for a moment Hitsugaya thought his heart would finally give out— the cold was slowing it down—but he told himself that not now, he couldn't die now when he had to avenge them. There was nothing that kept him in this world anymore, absolutely nothing but revenge and hatred; and he would die in peace only when he achieved this new purpose.

He felt Hyorinmaru's power infiltrating him, the raw power tearing his muscles and crushing his bones, driving him into momentarily madness. The physical pain was unbearable, but he realized this physical pain was overcoming that loss. The dagger in his chest—the unmistakable grief of Matsumoto—was gradually disappearing.

He let out a scream, falling to the ground, gripping his hair at the thundering pain.

"Bankai!" he shouted, ice gathering onto his back and protruding out to create wings and a tail. Ice petals formed behind him, but unlike before where they would hover behind him the petals opened—as though they were doorways, a portal perhaps— and behind two green eyes glowered, dangerously before an earsplitting roar filled the air.

-

* * *

-

It was trap.

Earlier she had felt the unmistakable presence of Aizen approaching from the south. Realizing that Toshiro was not in a proper state of mind to encounter Aizen, Harribel had wanted to face him off first. She had wanted to lure him away, while Toshiro and Inoue reached safety. But instead of meeting Aizen, Harribel had found Tousen Kaname instead. The blind man looked at her, somewhat battered and wounded as though he had fought some terrible battle that he was still recuperating from, before drawing out his sword.

"Where is he? Where is Aizen?" she asked but somehow she knew the answer.

The blind man moved with such precession, completely unaffected by his handicap. It was his wounds that made it difficult for him to move as agile. Moving Tiburon, she unleashed a wave of water that washed over the remains of the Fake Karakura Town. Tousen winced, having heard the gigantic waves but unable to respond to them quickly enough.

A flash flood washed over him, pushing him from his feet and into the enormous wave.

Harribel knew that wasn't the end of Tousen. He was the one that cut of Grimmjow's arm, as easily as though he were cutting butter. He had also been the one to punish and execute any rouge arrancars, or anyone that had suspicious thoughts. Despite his superior abilities, Harribel knew that it was Tousen's obedience that made him a deadly opponent. He would die for Aizen's cause.

_'I have to get back,' _she thought feeling the dramatic influx of Toshiro's spiritual energy. Above the skies changes, clouds cluttering the night sky, wind patterns picking up, and the sudden decrease in temperatures.

He was angry and upset—too angry that he could not think anymore. _'Don't be subdue by him,' _she thought knowing that Aizen was provoking him into behaving reckless. Again his spiritual pressure plummeted, as wrath and anger drove him.

And then she felt it. A sudden stop—as though the harsh anger within him had all but disappeared. The drastic stop scared her, scared her more than anything. _'Please be alright.' _

But she as she was expecting the worse, his spiritual pressure appeared—darker and sinister than before. The weather mirrored this drastic behavior, bringing an unsettling darkness and decrease in temperatures. Within minutes winds howled—furious and wild—and suddenly something fell from the sky, something hard and fast.

It was hail. Hail—large rocks of ice and snow— cascaded from the sky, the sheer mass and velocity creating small craters as they crashed onto the ground. Temperatures instantly dropped below zero, solidifying all water into pure ice, and a blizzard—a white, blinding one— settled within a matter of seconds.

Any form of warmth was quickly being sucked away. It was Hyorinmaru, the powerful ice dragon that was creating this instability in the weather. Harribel closed her eyes, sensing the pain and sadness, anger and hatred behind the howling wind, behind Toshiro.

"Harribel-san," cried out Inoue. She was shivering violently and her lips were bleeding at the inexplicable cold. "I tried but he told him some stuff… and Toshiro-kun…"

He must have found out the truth—the truth behind his vice-captain's death—and as a result had wanted revenge, like she wanted to avenge her fraccion. But she noticed, he couldn't control Hyorinmaru's power. It was too much power, way too much power, that eventually it would end up destroying him.

She had to stop him.

"Stay here. I will try to reason with him," she looked off in the distance and saw that the storm was growing, wilder and colder. Within a matter of minutes it would be too cold for anyone to even stand and would soon fall into hypothermia—eventually freezing to death.

"I want to go," Inoue protested, realizing that she had failed.

Harribel was about to respond that Toshiro was too dangerous at the moment, but the words did not leave her mouth—because just then someone new entered, someone completely unexpected entered. He was not within sight but Harribel knew exactly who had entered.

Something vile and foul swelled up inside her. _'What is _he _doing here? He should not be here!' _

Inoue dropped to the ground, her legs weakened by the freezing cold.

She glanced at her, noticing the frostbite that was appearing on her fingers. "You should not go any further," Harribel warned. "The cold will only get much worse."

She was too cold to respond, so she merely nodded.

Harribel stood up, attempting to see through the white landscape but saw nothing and heard nothing but the blizzard. She touched Tiburon, pushing aside the snow that had gathered on her blond hair and the hilt of her sword. No, she was supposed to save Toshiro. This spiritual energy was too destructive and would end up killing Toshiro in the process. Everything else should be place secondary.

"Inoue where is Aizen? Where has he disappeared to?" Inoue looked at her weakly unable to answer from the cold. But she didn't need to speak because it suddenly came to her. Everything that Inoue had said, what probably occurred when she was absent, and this unexpected presence. It wasn't a coincidence, this was another one of Aizen's plan.

-


	12. Chapter 12

"Ah! Such a surprise to see you Kyoraku-taichou!"

The captain tipped his straw hat towards the younger captain, immediately inviting him to a drink. For a moment, the younger captain hesitated but eventually agreed at the insistence of Kyoraku. In a moment, the younger captain fell into step with the other as they made their way down the busy streets of Seririte.

The cool autumn afternoon had Kyoraku intently daydreaming about his warm drink that he barely paid attention to what the younger captain was saying.

"Huh? I'm sorry Sousuke-kun I was too busy thinking about something else," he answered sheepishly.

He gave a slight smile, as though familiar with his senpai's absent mind.

"I was just mentioning that I heard a rumor the other day. From what I heard, the Tenth Division is finally getting a new captain."

"Does all of Soul Society know already? It wasn't supposed to be revealed for another month," Kyoraku said with a slight laugh. "But you are correct. After the horrendous death of the previous captain so long ago, it seems that old Yamm-jii has found a suitable replacement."

"I heard that it was Hyorinmaru, the legendary ice dragon; but that certainly can't be correct. Hasn't the ice dragon stop reincarnating? It disappeared over seven centuries ago."

"You are certainly quite informed Sousuke-kun," he answered somewhat surprised. "For a moment, it was believed that the ice dragon had stopped reincarnating but to everyone's amazement it was found not too long ago."

The younger man paused in his steps, surprised by the sudden revelation. "Isn't Hyorinmaru a malicious spirit? Haven't the last wielders lost control?"

Kyoraku looked back at him. "I believe that this new wielder will be different from the others. Yama-jii certainly thinks so."

He explained the name of Hyorinmaru's new wielder- a young boy from Roukongai. From what everyone praised about him, he was a genius- the sort that only come about every century or so.

"Is it alright then if such a young boy were to be placed as captain?"

"We all had our reserves but Yama-jii is certain that it this boy is more than capable enough. If he has already achieved this much control, I'm certain that within a century or two, he'll be able to fully control Hyorinmaru—and he'll certainly be much stronger than any of us, perhaps even the commander-general!"

* * *

The harsh wind whipped against her face, creating the sensation that tiny needles were individually prickling her cells. Within a matter of minutes, the temperature dropped drastically- dropping and dropping until the Fake Karakura Town transformed once again. When she had first arrived to the tiny town- a time so long ago, but really it had only been a month- there had been such an assortment of colors. The sky had been blue- a lovely blue, unlike the dark nights and lone moon of Hueco Mundo- and the landscape had been devoid of the ugly gray sand dunes that characterized the land of the hollows.

The colorful town had transformed into the remains of a bloody battlefield. Buildings and homes had easily toppled down, roads had been cracked into pieces, vehicles were thrown aside as though they weight like nothing more than paper. Perhaps much more noticeable were the blood stains that would never be removed from the soil. Matsumoto's blood had been spilled in this land and because of it, the tiny town had transformed once again.

Now the tiny town that reeked of death and tears was transformed again- this time into white tundra.

"Hirviendo!" Harribel shouted, thrusting Tiburon in the air, willing the snow to melt. But the ice and snow would not melt—no, the temperature was much too extreme causing the liquid water to quickly become into pure, solid ice.

_"Toshiro has your anger done this? Has the pain you felt truly transformed into this rage?" _

Briefly her thoughts went back into the eager faces of her fraccion. They had died here- their bodies burned to ash and thrown into the wind- and though she had felt the tremendous sadness and pain, she remembered the horrible rage that had filled her. This rage was so different from what she had felt—it felt almost self-destructive.

She shifted her weight, adjusting the weight of Inoue on her back. Perhaps, it was wise to leave the girl behind- the extreme weather and influx of spiritual energy was intolerable; but Harribel could sensed the arrival of more people- people that were considered dangerous in the current situation.

_"_He's _here, and he brought others with him," _she thought the vile feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. "_Aizen is still here, as our Ichimaru and Tousen." _Despite the unsettling amount of spiritual energy in the field, she could easily sense their presence. She closed her eyes briefly. "_Wait Has _he_ separated from the group? Why? Does he not see it?" _

Did they not understand the working of Aizen's mind? Did they not understand that this was a part of Aizen's plan?

Harribel opened her eyes then seeing the environment so desolate, barren of life and hope- a striking similarity to the deserts of Hueco Mundo.

Turning her face, she looked at the barely conscious girl. "Inoue are you awake?"

The girl opened her eyes, staring at her in a mixture of confusion. This girl was dying- with each passing second, her heart beat a little less, eventually beating no more. She couldn't just leave her here. "_If they find us, will they help her?" _

She was not sure. It was true that Inoue was not executed for escaping to Hueco Mundo, but still she did not know the extent of good grace that seem to accompany Inoue. Still what was to be done?

Her green eyes scanned the environment, trying to see pass the white, blizzard to search for a shelter.

"We'll stop for shelter," she muttered to the half conscious girl, her mind already made up.

A standing shop stood off into the distance- almost half buried and lost within the snow- but still bravely standing against the cruel blizzard. Kicking open the door, Harribel found an empty shop with an assortment of objects upon the shelves. Like outside it was covered in ice and snow- the weight of the snow must have caused a hole in the roof, causing the snow to quickly creep in.

Inoue fell onto her feet when she was finally put down. Her eyes were still blank, her body violently trembling at the lack of warmth.

"I'll look for a blanket," she informed the girl.

"No… no…" Inoue muttered, clutching her body into a ball, willing to have some warmth. " J-j-just … go…Go… I-I'm h-h-h…olding…" Her voice stuttered and quivered, but the look on her face said she was determined to finish this sentence, "You…. Go…."

A sort of pity be settled Harribel seeing that barely conscious girl. Inoue's creamy, pale skin was blue; her full lips red and bleeding. She was going to die here, the snow burying her fragile body in an unmarked grave. Inoue looked up, perhaps realizing her hesitation. She wanted to say that she was alright- so long as she knew that her friends were safe- but the cold had robbed her of her speech, and slowing it was robbing her mind.

Inoue offered a weak smile, and sign that she valued her friend's life much more that her own.

"_They're here."_

"I will, I'll find him- I promise," she answered after a moment's hesitation- she hadn't thought they would find her so quickly. "I'll be back," she answered, putting her entire wager on these people.

She leaped outside, the cold striking her face, the snow and wind pushing her down. Within a short times traveling, she could already sense their presence, staggering towards her.

"When will you continue hiding in the shadows?" She said at last, unable to keep the harsh emotion from her voice. The howling wind carried off her voice, but she knew that they heard her.

A man came out of the shadows, an easy smile on his face, and a pink flowery shawl over his shoulders. "I had a feeling you could sense us. It seemed too unusual for you to be emitting so much spiritual energy." he answered, the easy smile remaining on his face. A woman accompanied him, carrying a bundle of books and pushing her glasses to the brink of her red nose. The man, a shinigami captain briefly looked at his vice-captain- a silent order being uttered within them.

In a moment, the woman disappeared.

"It has become too dangerous," the man answered as though she had asked where the other had disappeared. "My lovely Nanao-chan is retrieving Inoue Orihime-chan."

"I hardly care," she answered the coolness in her voice still there. "I had taken her hostage, but she has only slowed me down." Harribel would not mention that Inoue had come running to her for help- that would be a sure sign of treason. There was a pause before she finally asked. "Will she be punished?"

It was a frugal question, but she had to ask it- to have the smallest of reassurance that Inoue would be safe.

"Of course not," the man answered without hesitation. "Like you said, she was kidnapped and taken against her free will. It was by luck that she managed to escape," he answered, knowing quite well a human could escape in this environment.

"Have you come for Toshiro?"

The captain raised his eyebrow. "Yes," he answered.

"He has released Hyorinmaru, but he cannot control such power. Will it end up... kill him?"

There was a brief hesitation before he sighed. He gazed off into the distance, remembering how he had proudly told the Primera Espada that this boy would one day grow to be more powerful than any of them. "Possibly... the longer his full bankai is released the higher the probability of death. Yamamoto-soutaichou and I..."

"The situation has changed," she interrupted. At once she felt her blood boiling at the sound of _his_ name. "Don't you see? Aizen is using Toshiro as a tool! This is all part of Aizen's plan! His greatest strength is in using other's feelings. Aizen knows he cannot win against _him_, so he has created a handicap for the wielder of fire!" She turned her body, signaling the wild blizzard.

"He cannot create his fire in this tundra, and Aizen will take the opportunity to kill him!" she spat out viciously.

The eight division captain took a step back, realizing the danger his old teacher was in.

"I will save Toshiro, but not the murderer that killed my fraccion."

* * *

_"Waaait Gin! Wait for me!" she cried out, hastily trying to follow the boy in front of her before tripping on her feet, landing face first on a pile of mud._

_Eventually he stopped, frowning in annoyance. "Hurry up, Rangiku. You're slowing us down."_

_She pouted. It had only been two months since he found her on the dusty streets of Roukongai but already she showed improvement. Her cheeks weren't as hollow as before, her frame not as bony and he could see the beginning of color on her face- not the pale, waxy complexion as before. Gin had quickly found out that she wasn't as shy and soft spoken as before. Rangiku was rather jaunty and good-humored, stating her opinion in a matter of seconds_

_"Because you're walking so fast!" she answered, wiping the mud off her face. "Where are we going anyway?"_

_"You probably won't understand," he responded, helping her on her feet._

_"Why don't you ever tell me anything?"_

_"You ask too many questions," Gin answered with a yawn, starting to walk up the rocky trail._

_"That's because you don't tell me anything!" she complained, throwing her hands in the air. Rangiku yelped then realizing that she was falling behind. "At least slow down Gin!"_

_"No, you've got to learn to catch up Rangiku. I'm not waiting for you. So hurry up and catch up!"_

His fingers were numb, goose bumps and shivers running along his body. Years of training and knowledge could not protect him from the ruthless cold; Gin knew that heating spells would be utterly obsolete. Immediately the warmth would get sucked away- this was Hyorinmaru after all, the merciless, ice dragon. Shinso's bankai state, Kaminishi no Yari, greatly increased the blade's speed, but with the blizzard was causing Shinso's movements to become more sluggish and sloppy.

The sharp blade of Shinso extended across the white plain, breaking the pillars of ice that sprouted from the earth. The ice shattered into pieces, collapsing in loud crashes. Instantly, pillars of ice protruded from the solid ground, sharp enough to draw blood. He forced his legs to dash across the snow, his flash steps slower than usual but with enough speed to weave about the sprouting pillars.

He gasped to a halt, the cold just too much for his lungs and heart.

It was irony- one could state- despite his tampering in forbidden arts, in the end it was his body's physical weakness that was bring about his death. Death was so obvious now, and all those years he wasted trying to become more powerful, seemed so frugal now. His core body temperature was drastically dropping, his skin pale and blue, and his mind skimming to incoherence.

"This time I have to catch up to you, eh Rangiku?" he laughed—his voice lost, so lost and lonely against the wind.

Gripping the hilt of Shinso and bring it up against his chest, but the blade did not extend as long as it was supposed to. It extended to roughly a mile, splitting the ice pillars into pieces before coming to a harsh stop. The blade would not move any further, which was odd, considering that Kaminishi no Yari could slice anything.

Shards of ice and snow blocked his vision, but he could see something, something large and terrifying that had stopped Kaminishi no Yari in its track.

He barely jumped in time as a pillar of ice erupted from the ground, soaring higher and higher until it disappeared into the sky. There was a settling noise underneath his feet as myriad of ice pierced the sky —sharper than any sword.

And then he saw it—the creature that was creating devouring all warmth, that existed solely for revenge. Its eyes… its cold sinister eyes poured over him… exposing him and all his ill deeds.

Gin stepped back, a tremor that had nothing to do with the cold, washing over him.

The blizzard hid away the sunlight, creating a thick blanket of utter whiteness with the occasional specks of black. A thick, towering icicle obtruded from the ground, the height disappearing in the white skies. He lifted his head, and realized that something had shrouded itself in that long, long icicle. It was a creature- an enormous creature, bigger than the release of the Sokyoku- that clung onto the ice.

It had blue scales, iron-like strong scales that could withstand any spell or attack that ran along the length of its body. Black claws dug deeply into the ice as it continued to carefully observe him before it finally let out a low snarl- revealing jarred, crooked teeth. Gin gripped Kaminishi no Yari preparing to extend the sword to its full length, but the creature moved at that instance. In a second it released its wings—wide almost leather-like wings.

At once the weather seemed to respond to the simple command- and what not? This was Hyorinmaru, the fully awaken ice dragon. Ice snapped, as easily as though it were twigs, quickly crashing down. Kaminishi no Yari darted out, pushing the fallen ice apart. He had little luck though, as an acute blade of ice penetrated his left shoulder.

Gin collapsed onto the ground, his shoulder blade broken into indistinguishable pieces. The pain was agonizing, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

_"Why are you always leaving me behind? Why Gin?"_

"We'll be together soon Rangiku," he muttered, rising to his feet. He didn't even notice the blood that was gushing from his shoulder or the excruciating pain.

_"You're always disappearing and you never tell me anything." _

"Together I promise!" he yelled off into the wind, half-mad from hypothermia and grief. "And this time I will never leave your side!"

Kaminishi no Yari disintegrated into dust, the tiny sharp blades easily disappearing into the blizzard. The blade shards gathered together, expanding once more, attempting to pierce the dragon's scale. A shard of ice quickly blocked its path, breaking into pieces. Again the blade's shard moved towards the dragon, this time meeting contact. But the dragon seemed hardly fazed by such a meaningless attack.

"I swore I would stop your tears! Yes, yes I will wipe away every one of your tears," Gin continued, Kaminiari no Yari expanding in random directions. "I swore I would take it back!"

He could picture her screams and cries as she begged them to leave her alone, as she begged them not to touch her. As a child, people had whispered he was emotionally instable- who could react with a smile when they found out their parents were devoured by hollows?- but as he saw and heard that poor girl being raped, he sobbed silently to himself. He sobbed, not just because she was being violated but because he couldn't do anything. He didn't have power.

The dragon roared- its roar somehow louder than the wind. The snow cascaded down, hurriedly brushing off anything in its path. It tumbled down, as strong and powerful as any avalanche.

His speed was horribly diminished from the cold and he could not easily evade the avalanche. The snow roughly threw him on the ground, knocking the wind out of him and sending him into a brief period of darkness. When he regained his wits, he leaped from the piles of snow.

_"You apologize but then you leave again! I don't understand you Gin!"_

"Soon, we'll be together soon," he muttered looking at the monster- for there was no other word to describe it- that had once been Hitsugaya Toshiro. He was wild and derange now, no longer resembling the collected and precocious captain that he was well known for. No something had broken... this time Aizen had gone too far, and had broken him.

In an instant the dragon moved, instantly at its side and swinging another sharp claws at him. The claws easily broke his skin, and blood- blood that he thought must have been frozen by this weather- spilled out, the scarlet red a huge contrast with the white, white snow. It tore at him again causing more blood to spill out, more bones to break.

"Kill Kaminishi no Yari!" Gin yelled out. The poison within the tiny blade that had engulfed itself in the dragon's scales quickly released, as though a bottle of poison had been broken. This was his bankai's special ability, and the most deadly- a tiny blade could easily pierce one's skin and bury itself deeply within, the poison could kill anyone within a matter of seconds.

The dragon moved its tail in one easy strive, throwing Gin off into the distance. Blood erupted from his mouth, as he released that something sharp had cut through his belly and warm blood was creeping out and staining the white snow.

"I swore I would get it back to you," Gin muttered, blood gushing from his mouth, his voice a little more than a whisper. "I swore but I needed power. I needed power, you understand, don't you? But... but that power wasn't enough! Being a shinigami wasn't enough! I needed more, power and only he could satisfy it. Only Aizen could give me the power I yearned for!"

He turned his head up, eye to eye with the dragon.

"This is your full power?" he said, glimpsing the figure that harbored rage and hatred. "This is the power that Aizen had wanted to see..." he broke off, a smile on his face."Of course, this isn't your full power. Up till now, you've done nothing but toss me around."

_"Are you trying to become a shinigami is that why you're always leaving for so long?"_

He spat blood, hating the copper tasted.

The ground shook, and he looked up at the eyes of the beast, trying to look beyond to see the boy that had once been.

Hyorinmaru was a malicious spirit, but everyone had believed that little Hitsugaya would one day grow to tame and control the wild beast. The commander-general had seen Hitsugaya's pure nature and had believed that he would never be tempted by the prospect of power.

"Is this the price for yearning for power?" Ichimaru asked to himself, the cold was almost numbing the pain away. He could no longer feel his broken bones, his guts spilling onto the snow, his dismembered legs; he could no longer taste the cooper blood in his mouth. Oddly enough his mind seemed clear. "Is this the price you have paid little taichou? Have you lost your reasoning and replaced them with raw instincts? Ha, you've become just like your friend, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"But you just wouldn't listen to me! You didn't understand! You didn't understand that I was trying to get power for you, that I wanted to give it back to you!" he muttered madly to the girl that would not stop crying- that constantly asked him why he kept leaving. He laughed cruelly, at the irony at the situation. It was his yearning for power that had killed Matsumoto; it was his greedy, never ending thirst for more power.

"_I've become a shinigami, Gin," an older Rangiku said- no longer the helpless girl she had once been. "I've grown tired of waiting for you."_

Gin let out a cry, realizing, finally realizing his mistake. "My quest for more power made her unhappy. I swore I would stop the tears, and yet I did nothing but bring her more pain. You... you were the one that she counted on... you were the one that soothe her loneliness... you were the one Rangiku Matsumoto loved the most, perhaps you believed that she loved me, but really she loved you the most."

"She was thinking of you, little captain- her final thoughts were of you, the person that has always been there for her.

"She said, "I do not ask any mercy from you... though we have known each other from our childhood, but I do ask this- as my final dying wish- please tell my taichou that I am sorry; so very sorry and sad that I could not keep my promise to him. I can only hope that he will forgive me and that maybe, just maybe he'll be able to celebrate his birthday with someone else."

The dragon let out a strangled roar, its jaws smashing Ichimaru's skull- emitting a sickening crack that reverted across the frozen tundra.

* * *

His mind was lost, lost in a sea of grief and rage. The sensibility and rationality that characterized his personality had disappeared; replaced instead by wild instincts. A destructive hatred had developed over him and he wanted the whole world to feel it. He hardly cared who he attacked, friend or foe; he just knew that the world had to feel this pain. Perhaps, then this pain would lessen.

"_One day the pain will lessen."_

This is what she meant right? This was the only way to deal with this crippling pain- the pain of forever loosing Matsumoto- by making the entire world feel it and the only way he could make others feel it was by obtaining power- the consequences hardly mattered.

Wait... what was that? What was that feeling- that feeling that seemed to lessen his madness? What was that feeling that seemed to soothe his troubled mind? He couldn't understand what this feeling was, but it wasn't unpleasant...

Hitsugaya opened his eyes into a white, hospital room. The question of _'Where am I?_' was forgotten by the overwhelming, caustic feeling that filled him. It was as though his flesh was burning- that wasn't an accurate description. What on earth could describe this torture?

He screamed out in pain, gripping his hair in anguish. The sudden noise caused Unohana to dash into the room, yelling out orders to the fraying medics. Within a second, a syringe was pulled out and injected into his skin.

Hitsugaya panted in exhaustion, the pain killers slowly diminishing the pain.

"I had a feeling this would happen," Unohana said wisely. She motioned for the medics to leave before she sat down. "How are you feeling now, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

He mumbled something indistinguishable, something that even he couldn't understand.

"You released Hyorinmaru's full power, Hitsugaya-taichou," Unohana explained. "The sudden power has caused a strain in your body. Since your body has yet to developed, it cannot accommodate so much spiritual energy as a result there is an excess. This excess is causing you-"

But really he wasn't listening. He shut his eyes letting Unohana's words sink in.

_"Oh taichou what's with all the questions?" she said with a laugh ruffling his hair. "What matters is that you found us. See I knew that you would be back. Isn't that what I said Hinamori?"_

_"I'm sorry but there is nothing here, nothing but sad memories."_

It seemed as though the dagger had finally taken a physical form. The pain that he felt in his chest—the pain that he had been trying so long to deny and convince himself that didn't exist—had resurfaced.

"Matsumoto's dead," he finally admitted.

The perfect world was already destroyed beyond repair. There was no point denying it anymore. Matsumoto would never return, no matter how long he waited- Matsumoto was gone.

Unohana hesitated, unsure of what to say. She had wanted to say that at least Matsumoto died peacefully- but that was not true. She had seen the bloody corpse, mutilated beyond recognition.

There was a knock on the door before Kyoraku-taichou, accompanied by Ukitake-taichou. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion," Ukitake said- a fatigue look on his face that had nothing to do with his illness. "But there are pressing matters that we must speak to you about."

Unohana took that as a cue to make her leave. She excused herself before warning them that they were only allowed ten minutes- the Fourth was particularly strict with the wellbeing of her patients and she would always have the final verdict. She closed the door softly behind her before Kyoraku began. He described how the commander-general and himself had gone to the Fake Karakura Town in search of him; how they had instead met the full release form of Hyorinmaru, how Ichimaru was brutally killed, how the commander-general had been forced into the fight, how Aizen had escaped wounded...

_"I'm only trying to tell you the truth- the truth that everyone is hiding from you. Nobody told you that there was one person responsible for all this—one man that has completely destroyed your life. It was no one else but Ichimaru Gin."_

"Ichimaru's dead?"

"Yes."

"Good," he answered simply. He closed his eyes briefly, expecting to feel some sort of relief, but he felt nothing. It was simply empty words that had no meaning or consequences, whatsoever.

"Hitsugaya-kun there are other present matters to speak about," Ukitake said. He briefly hesitated before continuing. "The commander-general is dead."

"What?" he looked up in surprise.

"Genryusai Shigekuni Yamammoto is dead." He looked over at Kyoraku, seeing for the first time the scars about his face.  
"We have already aprehended the person responsible. Aizen may have gotten away, but we were able to capture that was involved in all of this. As of not preparations are already in way for the new commander-general- it will be Shunsui- the strongest captain among the Gotei-13."

Kyoraku seemed neither pleased nor upset by the announcement, though he made some remark that Nanao-chan will have her hands full now.

"The official ceremony will begin a week from now; you as well as all the captains are to be present."

Hitsugaya said nothing, his mind still unable to fathom that the commander-general was dead. He had always had some foolish notion that the old man would continued to be the head captain until the end of time. He closed his eyes, recalling that the last time he saw him he was arguing with him—arguing over Harribel.

His mind became alert. "Wait... what happened to Harribel and Inoue?"

"Inoue-san is currently hospitalized. Hyorinmaru's spiritual pressure was simply too much for her to bear."

Hitsugaya felt a stab of guilt.

"And Harribel?"

Neither of the captain said anything. Finally, Kyoraku stared at him curiously. "Are you referring to that beautiful woman- the Third Espada?"

He didn't know whether the annoyance he felt was Kyoraku's reference that Harribel was beautiful or that she was an Espada- when he knew she had long abandoned that post.

"Hitsugaya-kun..." he had some difficulty coming up with the answer. "We don't we leave that question for next time? You have just woken up after a two week coma."

"What happened to Harribel?"

Ukitake attempted to move the conversation away until finally Kyoraku blurt out the response. "She left. After seeing Hyorinmaru's true form, she left."

Hitsugaya was quiet.

_"Lies may be easier to deal with in the short time but that is it. Eventually you will be caught up in your lies and the pain—the pain that you have been so desperately trying to escape from—will be just as strong. It may be difficult now, but one day you will come to terms with it. One day this pain will lessen." _

She had whispered, her warm arms surrounding him. In that period of confusion, she had provided a small sense of comfort and he had believed in her... believed in everyone of her words.

"She... left? She left without saying anything…"

"Yes," Kyoraku continued keeping his eye on him. "Now we must continue on-"

"Leave me alone," he interrupted.

The two captain looked at him startled.

"I want to be left alone."


End file.
